So she actually said that she does not see the appeal in Senshi at all and that the panty shots weren't intended to be horny - she just has a neighbor who looks kind of like him and does laundry in his underwear. Which she finds kind of weird and offputting, and put into his character to be funny.
But that's the thing. She doesn't exaggerate or grotesqueify or alter people's bodies to fit some standard. (Except insofar as she draws different species differently, and those are exquisitely practiced to ensure they have the same diversity of appearances that humans do.) She just presents people exactly as they are, complexities and oddities and all.
It just so happens that when you present people exactly as they are, what you present will be beautiful and alluring to many. Even the things you yourself might find weird and offputting. Honestly I think it's a touching example of how you don't have to see the beauty in everyone for the beauty to be there, simple honesty is enough to let the wonder of people's humanity shine through.
#i think we should put this post next to the interview where she said she doesn't want to eat the food in the series cuz she's a picky eater#and file them both under 'you don't know an artist from their work'#and maybe you don't need to!#maybe all you need to know is that ryoko kui is Good At What She Does#idk I don't like the implication that artists (and women especially?) can only create from personal life and feelings#some people have imagination and craft#kind of a tangent but. there you go.
Something something Red Hood falling in love with Badwolf is the clearest case of "love what kills you" but also, looking at the books:
Apple who should be constantly helped by men and killed by a woman is constantly seeking female attention and uses men in a functional way, including her fiancé. And her most significant relationship is the one with Raven,the woman that should kill her
The entire Raven-Maddie-Cedar friendship, where each of the three would have reason to hate the other because Raven's mother is the reason Maddie is a war refugee. And Cedar's grandfather is the reason Raven can no longer see her mother. Yet they are very close.
The Charming siblings who are attracted by the unknown in different ways (Darling as a knight, Dexter as an intellectual and Daring with his love for Lizzie) leading them to do things that are not befitting their royal role. Because fighting is risky for a damsel, and the figure of the "evil queen/witch" is dangerous for a prince to fall in love with
Duchess, the princess who in her story has women as its only allies (swan maids) and is killed by a man, has her most significant relationship not with her female friends, but with a man (I know you don't like him guys, but Sparrow is meant to be paired and be associates with her, in a way that none of her girl friends are)
Something something the fact that for a story about how conformists are afraid of dying, most of them are inevitably drawn to the most dangerous thing for them
A little guide to what the EAH characters were supposed to look like according to the books,since the show has changed the appearance of many:
Apple: Is described as curvy in the bosom-hip area, and in general she has soft features (I remember that her lips were especially described as full). Darling used the term "plump", so she is indeed curvy. She needs glasses, but uses contact lenses. She shorter than Raven. Vox populi the fairest of princesses
Raven: She's taller than Apple,but still in the avarage height. It's not explicitly stated, but given that she compares herself to Apple in her chapters,It's safe to say that she's very thin and relatively flat-chested. She looks a lot like her mother, who was very beautifull
Maddie: The shortest girl in the school. Not just short, really petite. She gets her hair from her father, who is completely mint green in the books, unlike in the show where he is blonde.
Briar: Apple confirms that she's one of the tallest girls, and when she wears heels, she's actually the tallest. We also know the actual style of her, since she often expresses her passion for heavy jewelry, leather skirts and boots, sequined tops.
The Charmings: The siblings DO INDEED look alike in the books. Daring and Darling have the same WHITE blonde. Daring is "only" athletic, while Darling is described as muscular due to her training. Dexter is described as lanky. He and Darling are probably the same height because she uses his armor.
Hunter: He is described as very similar to his mother,with tall and broad-shoulders BUT not to the machismo levels of his father, who is "similar to his wife, but taller and broader". Fun Fact: in the books, Cupid is attracted to him and not Dexter.
Sparrow: While the show kinda painted him ugly, In the books he is very cute. Raven admits that despite her efforts she is still attracted to him (physically). He's not a redhead! In the book he has brown hair and dark green eyes. They are from his dad since his paternal aunt has the same colors. However, on a physical level they don't look very similar,so he's taken after Marian more than Robin
Cedar: She's visibly made of wood, but unlike the series, so is her face. When she became human her face "is soft and has taken on color"
Cerise: She's very tall and muscular. She has the typical muscles of a sprinter. Raven is really charmed by her
If you haven’t seen it, Yana QRT’d a post about voices finally being added to book 7.5! In her QRT, she confesses that parts from books 8 and scenes cut from book 7 “in a hurry” were cobbled together to make book 7.5.
Looking back on the contents of book 7.5, this discovery makes sense. I suspect that Idia, Lilia, and Malleus’s segment in Styx was cut from 7, as it deals with the immediate aftermath of the OB and leads very cleanly into Malleus hosting a birthday party for Silver. (In book 7, the birthday party plot point seemingly comes out of nowhere.) Grim eating Malleus’s blotstone was probably also meant for book 7. Then Cater exiting his Styx checkup, Ace practicing his UM, and catching up with each of the other boys as they prepare for the end-of-year interscholastic tournament thing feel like they came from book 8, as these are moreso setting the scene and getting us reacclimatized with our cast after Malleus has already returns to school. The parts cut from book 7 would have been too short on their own, so that may be why they also tossed in parts from book 8 to elongate it into a “book”.
It seems that book 7.5 was NOT initially planned, which explains the strange numbering (7.5) and the initial release lacking voice acting. Yana implies the reason for this is the positive reception to book 7’s conclusion, but I’m not sure if I personally believe that’s the entire reason. In the JP server, the final installment of book 7 dropped on Twst’s 5th anniversary, so I cannot help but feel the devs were crunched for time and had to rework the latter half of book 7 to get it all out on the big date.
We recently learned a lot more about what each dorm offers its students in terms of amenities and house culture!! I did my best to compile those details here, as well as add other bits of lore we previously knew from other parts of Twst.
Heartslabyul
The second oldest dorm at NRC.
The rose maze changes shape according to the commands of the dorm leader. There are different layouts depending on the day of the week it is and other applicable rules.
Some students have all of the layouts (or most of them) memorized. In its standard shape, it’s a straight shot from the Hall of Mirrors to the dorm building.
The flowers are always in eternal bloom. The smell of roses is so strong it overpowers all other smells.
Their rose trees will attack people if they try to climb the hedges or use flight. This occurs when the dorm is on lockdown for emergencies and/or when the school is open to the public for events.
They raise flamingos and hedgehogs.
There is a courtroom in which they hold trials and important ceremonies like singing for the hedgehogs when they sneeze.
All the flora are carefully cultivated magical plants. They can walk if ordered to.
Unbirthday parties are held in the rose garden when no student has a birthday on a particular date.
The current students did not plant the flowers and trees; they were inherited from previous generations. In this way, they can be considered historic items, and thus Riddle becomes furious when the roses are not treated well.
The dormitory’s interior has a tendency to undergo sudden updates and layout changes. Staircases can "move around" or vanish, and the doors and rooms can rearrange at random.
Heartslabyul seems to set a different watchman every day to stand at the front of the dorm.
Riddle expects even visitors to adhere to the rules and to not cause a disturbance.
There are upside down chairs and floating picture frames in the hall, as well as rooms where directions are flipped and places where the floor is so warped you cannot tell how to walk on it.
The stairs are enchanted; on Thursdays, they gain 60 more steps.
There is no flying allowed inside the dorm.
The kitchen has a heart-shaped door. Its cupboards are all wobbly.
The fridge is often packed with baked goods due to unbirthday party planning.
The washroom resembles a flower field. The sinks resemble bottles underneath; the water inside circulates via magic.
You must fold your sleeves three times for washing your face. This is regardless of if you have short sleeves or a tank top, to ensure a clean shared space.
The lounge has a clear view of the rose gardens from inside. Flowers decorate the lounge; they are picked by Riddle and then arranged by Trey (who initially wasn’t very good at it).
At the end of the day, dorm members gather and like up by their suit. Then the dorm leader leads a recitation of the rules. (Visitors must join in too.) This was a tradition started by the first dorm leader and then revived by Riddle. If someone messes up, they are scolded in front of everyone.
Savanaclaw
Its students are usually athletes. They also tend to be hot-headed.
The walkway area opens to a big glass wall so there is light all year round. The ceilings are high and the halls have an open atrium.
The dorm leader’s room is on the topmost floor. When he steps outside and looks down, he can see everything. This is meant to emulate the time when the King of Beasts inspired the hyenas to follow him by the light of the moon.
Savanaclaw has a magift/spelldrive field and what is basically a gym with the latest training machines next to that. It used to be a storage place for sports equipment.
Leona describes his students as rough troublemakers. They are also very competitive.
Their lounge has a waterfall that actually flows continuously. It keeps the area cool and is meant to represent the beautiful savanna environment.
The lounge chairs are very comfortable. Apparently the students have staked their claim on the chairs, calling it their “territory”.
In territorial disputes, you’re meant to settle matters with your fists (well, arm wrestling). Prior to Leona being dorm leader, violent brawls were a constant occurrence to resolve problems.
Leona explains arm wrestling is a superior way for conflict resolution, since no one gets hurt physically and it’s a good way to relieve stress. Plus, the students can fix their issues without having to call for him.
In Savanaclaw, “survival of the fittest” mentality runs deep and physical strength is prized.
Octavinelle
Octavinelle’s hallways have glass corridors so you can gaze out into the sea, fish, coral, and underwater plants at all times. It was made this way so you can always see the sea and has always been a part of Octavinelle’s design.
The glass is reinforced with magic so it can withstand the strong water pressure. It didn’t break even when Floyd hit it when he was in a bad mood.
The dorm is unique because it is the only one located in a sea.
Octavinelle is constructed so that even humans can live comfortably in it. (In the manga, we see that those that cannot breathe underwater are given their own big air bubble to travel through the water in.)
The Mostro Lounge is a student-run café in Octavinelle. It was started over a year ago when Azul and Crowley made a deal: return the magic of several contracted students in return for permission to run the café. 10% of its proceeds go back to NRC.
There is one drink purchase minimum if you want to be seated in the Mostro Lounge.
No fighting is allowed inside the lounge, as it is considered a “gentlemanly” place. If you make a fuss, Jade and/or Floyd will escort you out (by force, if necessary).
Azul studied interior design intently to design a place where gentlemen could socialize. He went to many other eating establishments to conduct research. Floyd and Jade were asked to rearrange the furniture a ton.
Azul wanted to make a dimly lit place with calm vibes. It’s an “adult” or “grown-up” feeling space, which would have particular value to students that have never experienced such a thing before.
Mostro Lounge has comfortable seats and luxurious decorations. Azul was very particular about the expensive jellyfish chandeliers.
The VIP Room is even more fancy and more heavily furnished than the Mostro Lounge. It is for special clientele.
The VIP Room is completely soundproof. No matter how loud you screen or cry, you won’t be heard.
Octavinelle’s lounge has a big sofa. Apparently it was replaced when Azul became dorm leader. The previous sofa used to be so old that they broke when larger students sat down on it at once.
They regularly have debate tournaments. They started because an Octavinelle student was previously framed by a student from another dorm. The Octavinelle student was forced to admit fault for the something he wasn’t actually guilty of (the failure of a magical pharmaceuticals experiment).
If even one of their students makes a mistake, the entire dorm looks bad. Thus, debate tournaments exist to help students practice arguing themselves out of difficult situations.
If there are leftover ingredients at the Mostro Lounge when they close for the day, they are used to prepare dishes for the dorm's students (lounge staff) to eat together. Azul claims it helps eliminate food waste and helps build a sense of community in Octavinelle.
Their students are known for their intelligence.
According to Floyd, “Octavinelle's super laid-back. Our whole entire motto is ‘take responsibility for yourself’, after all.”
Scarabia
Scarabia was renovated with funds donated from the Asims once Kalim enrolled. Before this, the interior was more dark red and subdued. The dorm has a lot of gold now.
The shape of their roofs emulates the roofs of the Scalding Sands.
Scarabia live under the motto "plan with deep anticipation".
Students are resourceful and often excel in astrology and ancient incantations. They often rival Octavinelle in terms of grades.
There are pots with traditional Scalding Sands designs everywhere for decoration. They are worth 4 million madol each.
The storeroom is currently used to hold a bunch of gold, jewels, and other treasures Kalim’s dad sent to school.
Kalim has a diorama corner in the storeroom, which has a miniature version of the dorm. (He also has one back home, but of his house.) It has a functioning mini fountain. There are also lights, moving parts, and animal toys. He likes to play a game where you try to stack the animals as high as you can without letting them topple over.
Jamil or some other Scarabia member runs pat-downs on those who enter the storeroom. They’ve had incidents in the past where people stole valuables.
The storeroom is guarded by anti-theft magic. Those who try to leave with items (without getting the permission to remove them) will be zapped by a strong electrical current.
The carpets and cushions in the lounge are highly detailed. They’re made for lying on and relaxing.
They have a lantern that resembles a face hanging in the lounge. It was there before the renovations.
Scarabia students tend to be carefree, lazy, and even spoiled. Lots of them eat while lying on the floor.
Kalim has a precious magic carpet which he keeps in the storeroom. He borrowed it from his dad.
Scarabia’s sky is beautiful at night.
Pomefiore
Pomefiore is the oldest and most historic dorm.
Anyone that does not keep up their appearance won’t be allowed inside.
They have a ballroom where students can practice dancing.
Its students excel in potionology and curses.
Pomefiore’s interior is styled to resemble a castle, with plenty of fine detail, luxury, and glamour. The floor is meant to resemble a red carpet.
Students often discuss their looks and have stereotypically feminine hobbies + interests. As Rook describes it, everyone is pursuing their own beauty. Many students also seem to come from well-off families, as they already arrive speaking in very refined ways and with knowledge of luxury items.
The washroom is usually very crowded. Students frequently check their makeup and skin condition in the mirrors, so the wait for your turn to go is very long.
The washroom mirrors have lighting like the ones in actors’ dressing rooms and high-definition mirrors that accurately show makeup colors.
There are other specialized mirrors like ones that recreate different lighting and climate so you can always see how you look in different conditions and inverting mirrors, so you can see how you appear in others’ eyes.
The basement/crypt houses a potions lab. Normally, outsiders would not be allowed in. It has a reputation for being scary.
Their lab has a strong smell, is quiet, and the air conditioning does not work well. Many dorm leaders have conducted experiments in the lab.
The lab is set up so that is it very easy to grab things and start concocting as soon as an idea strikes you.
The lounge has a peacock throne that is inspired by the seat the Fairest Queen sat in. The furnishings and chandeliers are also inspired by her elegance.
The lounge apparently took a long time to design. The goal is to help students appreciate the diligence and aesthetics of the lounge.
Relaxing music plays in the lounge around nighttime. It is supposed to help improve your quality of sleep. This was introduced by past dorm members.
Another system emits a flowery smell late in the day. It is also supposed to support sleep. The current aroma dispersed is made by Rook.
There is a special drink (hot water) every student has before bed. It is served from a special vase.
Pomefiore grows many poisonous plants and flowers.
Students magically cultivate apple trees in the garden for use in a special spell.
Ignihyde
The newest dorm.
Ignihyde has gone through transitions since it was first built. Originally, the interior was more old-fashioned and solemn to resemble a stone temple.
There are pillars with arial displays; the pillars are a remnant of its original design.
As technology advanced, more students who were good with engineering joined Ignihyde. This led to them pursuing greater convenience when they gathered, but modded the dorm so heavily that Crowley scolded them for it.
Ignihyde is rigged with facial recognition software at its entrance which prevents non-Ignihyde residents from entering.
There servers and network systems are in the deepest part of Ignihyde, so the security there is much more strict, requiring fingerprint authentication, a retinal scan, and a password.
If you fail facial recognition three times, an infrared beam will fire at the outsider. It won’t kill you, but it will scorch you.
Some students blend in with normies, rather than looking like the typical otaku who don’t care about their appearances.
The students used their own money to buy and install communal washroom appliances to increase efficiency. (Crowley refuses to buy luxury items for them.)
These communal appliances include a salon-style standing hairdryer (which allows you to multitask while your hair dries), a steaming iron that fixes even the most stubborn wrinkles and cleans lint, and a massage chair with a foot bath function and a hot eye mask.
Student researchers suffer from back pain and stiff backs because of how sedentary they are.
The Ignihyde boys’ muscle flexibility is 40% lower than that of the average teenage boy.
The lounge is shaped like a colosseum.
The lounge has high spec computers which can run powerful simulations.
A robot vacuum cleans the dorm every few hours. It has been modified to be quiet and work fast with a strong suction.
Ignihyde students tend to be shy/quiet, serious, and/or not very outgoing, sometimes confined to their own rooms.
Ignihyde students often get inspiration from listening to their peers mutter. They tend to look down and mumble instead of making direct eye contact and speaking directly.
However, the students are capable of chatting about their interests, like manga and academic papers. Sometimes the discussions become extremely heated because everyone has their own research specialties and refuse to compromise on their preferences.
Even when it’s lights out, debates can continue over group messages until the morning.
Students rarely interact with other dorms. Even very sociable students like Cater say they don't have a single friend from Ignihyde.
Its students excel in tech-related fields.
Diasomnia
Third oldest dorm at NRC.
Sunlight is scarce.
Diasomnia’s briar acts as a magical defense system, behaving similarly to Heartslabyul's roses and obeying the commands of the dorm leader.
Since Malleus came into power, the briar have become basically obsolete since he’s able to provide the same defenses (or better) using his own magic
The drawbridge to the castle is enchanted to raise to deny intruders entry. You must have authorization of the dorm leader to be allowed in. This is to emulate the same drawbridge the Thorn Witch had in her castle.
Diasomnia is built from stone. It has very few changes made to it. The stone makes sound travel easily.
The ceiling has black briar-like ornaments to create a solemn atmosphere.
There is a room that Lilia uses as his spare storage room for items he obtained on his worldly travels. In fact, Diasomnia has a lot of spare rooms.
Sebek wants to make a library, Silver wants to make a broom first-aid room stocked with healing potions + bandages, and Lilia wants to decorate a room to help visitors feel at ease. However, Malleus says they should not decorate spare rooms without permission.
Candles with green flames are all over the dorm.
They used to have a TV in the lounge, but Malleus “silenced” it forever with magic by accident. (He was trying to adjust the TV’s volume and went overboard.)
Their closing assembly is a long-time tradition. It started with the intent of raising awareness and promoting community. The dorm leader basically recounts their day at school.
Diasomnia students are highly disciplined and move in a very militaristic in-sync manner.
They generally look up to their leader Malleus, praise him, and seek to emulate his behaviors.
Diasomnia students in particular are hostile to outsiders and deny entry even to those with permits.
Back in June 2025, a question occurred to me: “Do people with certain personality traits gravitate to certain OB boys?” This led me to create a survey to try and get to the bottom of things.
Now we have results of our findings!! The Tumblr post you're currently reading only includes our findings, discussion, and credits. Some graphs, tables, and charts are included here, but not all of them, since Tumblr posts have a 30 image maximum. To read the full paper (which is ~50 pages), please see this Google Document.
Summary Statistics
Total number of responses: 1263
By Gender:
67.6% female
6.7% male
16.0% non-binary
9.7% other
By Age:
40.9% are between 13-18 years of age
40.3% are between 19-24 years of age
15.8% are between 25-30 years og age
2.4% are between 31-36 years of age
0.6% are older than 37, with the highest age noted being 42
By Region:
54.9% from North America
20.0% from Europe and Central Asia
14.1% from East Asia and Pacific
8.7% from Latin America and Caribbean
1.1% from Middle East and North Africa
0.8% from South Asia
0.4% from Sub-Saharan Africa.
By Keeping up with JP:
64.5% play EN
26.3% play both EN and JP
9.2% play JP
By Knowledge of Japanese:
96.4% do not know Japanese
3.6% know Japanese
By Main Source of Translation:
35.3% use video translations
32.5% use the EN game
21.0% use written translations
5.5% use summary threads
3.0% use machine translations
2.6% use word of mouth
By Years Playing:
12.6% five years
7.9% four years
32.5% three years
21.5% 2 years
13.8% 1 year
11.8% less than 1 year
By Story Quality:
34.1% rate it Excellent
53.9% rate it Good
11.8% rate it Okay
0.2% rate it Poor
By Relatability (to OB boy):
72.6% say yes, OB boy is relatable
27.4% say no, OB boy is not relatable
Most frequently selected favorite OB boy:
Leona (18.4%)
Riddle (17.4%)
Malleus (16.8%)
Idia (16.3%)
Azul (11.6%)
Vil (10.5%)
Jamil (9.0%)
Most frequently selected LEAST favorite OB boy:
Leona (17.5%)
Jamil (16.3%)
Azul (16.0%)
Malleus (15.3%)
Vil (13.3%)
Idia (11.5%)
Riddle (10.0%)
When evaluating our data, we must keep in mind that it is largely representative of:
self-identified women (~68%)
those aged 13-18 (~41%) and 19-24 (40%)
those from North America (~55%) and Europe + Central Asia (20%)
those who play EN (~65%) or both EN and JP (~26%)
those who overwhelmingly do not know Japanese (~96%)
those who mostly use video translations of the JP game (~35%) or play the EN game (~33%)
those who mostly keep up with JP updates (60%)
those who have played Twst for two (~22%) to three years (~33%)
those who rate the Twst main story “good” (~54%) or “excellent” (~34%)
those who say the OB boys are relatable (~73%)
In other words, this survey is NOT representative of the Twst JP fanbase or even of the international fanbase; it is concentrated on the lens taken by the young English-speaking women of North America and Europe/Central Asia.
Methods, Results + Discussion (Personality of Respondents vs Favorite OB Boy(s))
The method of collecting responses we used is known as convenience sampling, which gathers data from participants who are the easiest to reach. We, the researchers, sacrifice random and representative selection for speed and cost-efficiency.
To measure personality traits, we asked that each participant take the Big 5 or Five Factor Model (FFM) personality assessment and provide their resulting overall scores across 5 dimensions. Those 5 dimensions, commonly referred to by the acronym OCEAN and each existing on a spectrum, are as follows:
Openness (to experience) — measures imagination, curiosity, and willingness to try new things.
Conscientiousness — measures goal-directed behavior, planning, and self-discipline.
Extroversion — measures how much an individual is energized by social interactions.
Agreeableness — measures empathy, willingness to cooperate, and ability to trust in others
Neuroticism — measures emotional instability, such as anxiety, hostility, and impulsivity.
We chose to use the Big 5 because it is widely accessible (i.e. free to the general public), widely recognized, and, most importantly, widely researched. Many languages and cultures use this test, leading to Big 5’s validity and reliability to be demonstrated many times over in several peer-reviewed studies. It is considered the “gold standard” in personality psychology.
For the purposes of this report, we will be using a significance value of 0.05. In hypothesis testing, the p-value is used to determine whether an observed result is likely due to chance or a true effect. 0.05 will be our marker, or threshold. In this case, a p-value HIGHER than 0.05 means the results are not statistically significant (i.e. these results are due to random chance). A p-value LOWER than 0.05 means the results are statistically significant (ie these results are due to a true effect, NOT random chance).
We determined that this data set has homogeneity of variance and for normality. For the oneway ANOVAs, we only considered the characters that respondents marked as their favorite (1). This was done for every dimension. Where relevant, Fisher’s LSD multiple comparison test was used to determine if the difference between two scores within the same dimension were statistically significant.
Openness:
The Openness scores were not significantly different from each other (p-value=0.2858). The scores were generally clustered together without one being an outlier.
Those who ranked Jamil as (1) were the highest in terms of Openness (mean=89.98, sd=8.79)
Those who ranked Riddle as (1) were the lowest (mean=87.50, sd=8.97).
Using Fisher’s LSD multiple comparison test, we can see that Jamil likers and Riddle likers were significantly different from each other in terms of Openness scores (p-value=0.0271).
Since the Openness scores were not statistically significant, this means fans of all OB boys were roughly the same in terms of Openness. This makes sense, as the concept of Twisted Wonderland itself invites curiosity and imagination for a world that reinterprets classic Disney characters. Those attracted to Twst’s world and characters would have to be open to a decent degree to get invested and stay invested.
If we examine the two characters who are notably different from one another, Jamil likers were the most open and Riddle likers were the least open. This reflects the personalities of the two OB boys. Jamil desires his freedom and can act unhinged when he lets himself cut loose, whereas Riddle is notoriously uptight. Fans of these respective characters may share these characters’ respective traits, which would explain the scores.
Neuroticism:
The Neuroticism scores were statistically significant from one another (p-value=0.0074). At least one of the scores was different enough from the rest.
Those who ranked Idia as (1) were the highest in terms of Neuroticism (mean=90.96, sd=13.83).
Those who ranked Leona as (1) were the lowest (mean=86.13, sd=13.91).
Using Fisher’s LSD multiple comparison test, we can see that Idia likers were significantly different from Vil (p-value=0.0464), Azul (p-value=0.0130), and Leona (p-value=0.0003) likers in terms of Neuroticism scores.
Leona likers were significantly different from Idia, Riddle (p-value=0.0033), and Malleus (p-value=0.0366) likers.
Idia likers scored the highest in Neuroticism, whereas Leona likers scored the lowest. Again, I believe this reflects the tendency for fans to gravitate to characters that are similar to themselves. Idia is extremely anxious but can swing between periods of extreme confidence and extreme meekness. Leona, on the other hand, can usually keep his cool and does not act impulsively; he plans for the long term.
Agreeableness:
The Agreeableness scores were significantly different from each other (p-value=0.0449). At least one of the scores was different enough from the rest.
Those who ranked Malleus as (1) were the highest in terms of agreeableness (mean=89.80, sd=11.87).
Those who ranked Jamil as (1) were the lowest (mean=86.14, sd=12.04).
Using Fisher’s LSD multiple comparison test, we can see that Malleus likers were significantly different from Riddle (p-value=0.0087), Vil (p-value=0.0099), Idia (p-value=0.0052), and Jamil (p-value=0.0122) likers in terms of agreeableness scores.
Jamil likers were only significantly different from Malleus likers.
Malleus likers scored the highest in agreeableness, meaning they are the most empathetic and willing to cooperate and trust in others. Jamil likers are the opposite, having scored the lowest. This, too, reflects the characters, whom the fans may see themselves in. Jamil is highly distrustful of others and assumes the worst of them. On the other hand, Malleus can be on the naive side and there’s a whole subplot in the main story about how he overcomes loneliness, learns to be more open with others, and makes new friends. He is also shown to be empathetic, especially when he relates to others’ loneliness (like in Endless Halloween Night; he was sad for the ghosts who had missed the party).
Extraversion:
The Extraversion scores were significantly different from each other (p-value=0.0142). At least one of the scores was different enough from the rest.
Those who ranked Vil as (1) were the highest in terms of Extraversion (mean=63.52, sd=13.41)
Those who ranked Idia as (1) were the lowest (mean=59.32, sd=13.17).
Using Fisher’s LSD multiple comparison test, we can see that Vil likers were significantly different from Azul (p-value=0.0218) and Idia (p-value=0.0031) likers in terms of Extraversion scores.
Idia likers were significantly different from Vil, Riddle (p-value=0.0056), Malleus (p-value=0.0135), and Leona (p-value=0.0141).
Riddle likers were significantly different from Azul (p-value=0.0437).
Vil likers scored the highest in Extraversion, while Idia likers scored the lowest. Vil, being a celebrity, is constantly in the public eye and interacting with fans, whether indirectly (social media, films, etc.) or directly (in-person events). Additionally, his character revolves around the idea of beauty, being seen, and being confident in outward expression of his gender. I could see this pulling fans who similarly want to be seen or to express themselves in the same ways that Vil does. Idia, meanwhile, tends to keep to himself and be a loner, which may attract fans who behave similarly.
Conscientiousness:
The Conscientiousness scores were significantly different from each other (p-value=0.0142). At least one of the scores was different enough from the rest.
Those who ranked Azul as (1) were the highest in terms of conscientiousness (mean=76.94, sd=13.68), while those who ranked Idia as (1) were the lowest (mean=71.98, sd=14.30).
Using Fisher’s LSD multiple comparison test, we can see that Azul likers were significantly different from Riddle (p-value=0.0428), Leona (p-value=0.0308), Vil (p-value=0.0188), and Idia (p-value=0.0009) likers in terms of conscientiousness scores.
Idia likers were significantly different from Azul and Malleus (p-value=0.0229) likers.
The conscientiousness scores were statistically significant, meaning respondents are different in their goal-directed behavior, planning, and self-discipline. Twisted Wonderland is a free-to-play gacha game, in which players can earn currency to roll on banners by completing various tasks. However, there are limited ways for players to earn this currency, especially if they have been playing for years. This incentivizes paying money to acquire more rolls, which funds the game. Because banners–particularly event banners and birthday banners–are limited time, this feeds into FOMO (fear of missing out), furthering the pressure to not save or plan for future banners, but to spend on the current one. This data seems to suggest that fans of some OB characters (such as Azul) are better at long-term planning, including saving rolls for gacha banners, than fans of other characters (such as Idia).
Azul likers having the highest conscientiousness score makes sense, given that this is also true of the character. Azul often schemes and prepares for situations far in advance, and a perfect example of this is his ascension to dorm leadership. He implies that he worked hard to get into the good graces of his previous dorm leader to earn the recommendation to succeed him.
Idia likers are the least conscientious, but my best guess as to why this is the case… maybe his explosive and sudden anger? Or his ability to tackle any problem on-the-spot with the skills currently at his disposal? Perhaps it’s that he prefers to maximize efficiency?
By highest percentage:
15% of Jamil likers ranked Riddle as their least favorite OB boy
28.4% of Riddle likers ranked Leona as their least favorite OB boy
22.9% of Vil likers ranked Azul as their least favorite OB boy
23.3% of Malleus likers ranked Jamil as their least favorite OB boy
19.1% of Idia likers ranked Vil as their least favorite OB boy
17% of Leona likers ranked Idia as their least favorite OB boy
28.3% of Jamil likers ranked Malleus as their least favorite OB boy
Most common rankings
When Riddle was ranked 1 (n=218), the most common OB Boy chosen at each other rank was:
2: Azul (22.5%)
3: Azul (19.3%)
4: Idia (21.1%)
5: Vil (21.1%)
6: Malleus (22.5%)
7: Leona (28.4%)
When Leona as ranked 1 (n=230), the most common OB Boy chosen at each other rank was:
2: Jamil (23.5%)
3: Malleus (20.0%)
4: Riddle (20.0%)
5: Riddle (22.2%)
6: Azul (21.3%)
7: Azul and Malleus (19.1% each)
When Azul as ranked 1 (n=145), the most common OB Boy chosen at each other rank was:
2: Riddle (24.8%)
3: Vil (20.7%)
4: Malleus (22.8%)
5: Vil (20.0%)
6: Leona (22.1%)
7: Leona (27.6%)
When Jamil as ranked 1 (n=113), the most common OB Boy chosen at each other rank was:
2: Leona (22.1%)
3: Riddle (27.4%)
4: Leona (23%)
5: Idia (21.2%)
6: Idia (23%)
7: Malleus (28.3%)
When Vil as ranked 1 (n=131), the most common OB Boy chosen at each other rank was:
2: Riddle (26.7%)
3: Malleus (21.4%)
4: Leona (22.1%)
5: Azul (21.4%)
6: Idia (22.1%)
7: Azul (22.9%)
When Idia was ranked 1 (n=204), the most common OB Boy chosen at each other rank was:
2: Malleus (26.5%)
3: Azul and Vil (19.6% each)
4: Riddle (20.1%)
5: Azul (20.6%)
6: Jamil (23.0%)
7: Leona (21.6%)
When Malleus was ranked 1 (n=210), the most common OB Boy chosen at each other rank was:
2: Idia (26.7%)
3: Riddle (24.3%)
4: Vil (21.4%)
5: Jamil (22.9%)
6: Jamil (24.3%)
7: Jamil (23.3%)
The trends observed are:
Riddle likers usually also liked Azul
Riddle likers usually disliked Malleus or Leona
Leona likers usually also liked Jamil
Leona likers usually disliked Azul
Leona likers are conflicted about Malleus; some like Malleus while others consider him to be their least favorite of the OB boys
Azul likers usually also liked Riddle
Azul likers usually disliked Leona
Jamil likers usually also liked Leona
Jamil likers usually disliked Malleus or Idia
Vil likers usually also liked Riddle or Malleus
Vil likers usually disliked Azul or Idia
Idia likers usually also liked Malleus or Vil
Idia likers usually disliked Jamil or Leona
Malleus likers usually also liked Idia or Riddle
Malleus likers usually disliked Jamil
Overall comments on personality + favorite OB boy:
Noting the important differences between highest and lowest scores:
Jamil likers scored high in Openness
Riddle likers scored low in Openness
Idia likers scored high in Neuroticism
Leona likers scored low in Neuroticism
Malleus likers scored high in Agreeableness
Jamil likers scored low in Agreeableness
Vil likers scored high in Extraversion
Idia likers scored low in Extraversion
Azul likers scored high in Conscientiousness
Idia likers scored low in Conscientiousness
The trend seems to be that one’s favorite OB boy correlates with shared personality traits. This is observed over 4 (Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Extraversion, conscientiousness) of the 5 dimensions of the Big 5 personality test, with the remaining 1 (Openness) being insignificant, as the concept of Twst itself depends on the fans to have an open mind to begin with.
Leona was most often chosen as the favorite OB boy, and Jamil was the least often chosen as the favorite OB boy. It’s ironic, because both Leona and Jamil are the top two most often cited as the LEAST favorite OB boy(s). Leona seems to be a point of contention among respondents; he is simultaneously liked and disliked.
Results + Discussion (by Other Metrics)
Favorite OB boy by time spent playing Twst:
Those who have been playing for 5 years or more showed a preference for Idia
Those who have been playing up to 4 years showed a preference for Riddle
Those who have been playing up to 3 years showed a preference for Leona
Those who have been playing up to 2 years showed a preference for Malleus
Those who have been playing up to 1 year showed a preference for Malleus
Those who have been playing less than 1 year showed a preference for Leona
Inexperienced players seemed to like Leona or Malleus, which is interesting given that Leona notoriously has a disliked main story book early on and Malleus has little relevance early in the story. Based on the word analysis, it seems like many people were initially drawn to Twst due to the visual appeal of Malleus and Leona.
Fans of 2-3 years have been playing for about the same length of time as EN has been out. This is around when we’d anticipate the preference for Malleus and Leona transforming into more of an appreciation for their characters, as 2-3 years is time to acclimate to the latter parts of the story.
Players of 4 and 5 years like Riddle and Idia, respectively. This may be because, deep in the story, they are very important characters. Riddle has a substantial segment towards the end which adds more depth to the nature of his family, earning him much attention and empathy from fans. Idia plays a pivotal role in saving the day in book 7.
Favorite OB boy by region:
East Asia and Pacific: Idia with 18.7%
Europe and Central Asia: Malleus with 20.8%
Latin America and Caribbean: Leona and Idia with 18.9% each (color only reflects Leona)
Middle East and North Africa: Vil with 28.6% (small sample size 4/14)
North America: Riddle with 19.2%
South Asia: Leona with 30% (very small sample size 3/10)
Sub-Saharan Africa: Malleus with 40% (very small sample size 2/5)
The most popular character varies by region due to cultural values and traditions differing. For example, Europe + Central Asia have lore about spirits, fae, and/or dragons, which may boost Malleus’s popularity, since he is a dragon fae.
By age:
The most popular OB boy for ages 13-18 is Riddle
The least popular OB boy for ages 13-18 is Jamil
The most popular OB boy for ages 19-24 is Leona
The least popular OB boy for ages 19-24 is Jamil
The most popular OB boy for ages 25-30 is Leona
The least popular OB boy for ages 25-30 is a tie between Jamil and Vil
The most popular OB boy for ages 31-36 is Azul
The least popular OB boy for ages 31-36 is a tie between Jamil and Vil
The most popular OB boy for ages 37-42 is Riddle
The least popular OB boy for ages 31-36 is a tie between Leona, Azul, Jamil, Vil, and Malleus.
It’s possible that minor fans (13-18) like Riddle due to relatability; children may relate to not enjoying having a helicopter parent micromanage their life (preferring to rebel or leave the situation) and may sympathize with Riddle’s situation.
Leona is liked by ages 19-24 and 25-30, and that may indicate a “maturation” of the fan. He has ambitions and the skill/talent to realize them, like the fans who are now adults and are preparing for or have careers at this point. These adult fans may also relate to his stance on children (as studies show that adults are now having families later and later in life) or respect his involvement in politics, as they are now at the age where they are actively thinking about how it affects them.
Jamil in general may not be liked because (given that most responses come from the west), the ideas of filial piety + carrying on the family legacy and staying trapped in an abusive system are a challenge for westerners to understand. These are more normalized concepts and practices in the east.
Vil may not be liked by 25-30 year olds because this age group is aging and/or getting to a point where they do not care as much for aesthetics (which Vil is big on). They are generally more focused on adult responsibilities rather than putting all their energy and effort into looks like Vil does.
I will not comment on ages 31-36 and 37-42, since the sample sizes for those were too small.
By relatability:
All the OB boys were viewed as more relatable than not relatable. However, Jamil (63 vs 50) and Vil (75 vs 56) have the smallest gaps between “relatable” and “not relatable”. This may be because not many fans can relate on a literal or direct level to being trapped in servitude or being a famous but typecasted actor/model/celebrity. Idia was rated the most relatable, with a gap of 181 vs 23 (relatable vs not relatable). This may be because fans relate to his anxiety, which, as you’ll see in the word analysis portion, frequently comes up in reference to him.
Results + Discussion (Word Analysis)
Frequently cited reasons as to why respondents liked or disliked certain OB characters include:
Character’s personality/arc/background
Character’s design
Personal attachment for a particular Disney film
Relatability
Like more/less compared to the other OB boy options
First exposure
Factors unique to each OB boy were:
Riddle:
+ Likes Alice in Wonderland/Heartslabyul aesthetic
+ Relatable relationship (with mother)
- Preferred calmer characters
- Boring (compared to the others)
Leona:
+ Complexity; need to be able to read between the lines
+ Actually cares about others
- Book 2 makes him look bad
Azul:
+ Fun to watch his interactions with others
+ Love glasses and/or moles
Jamil:
+ His dynamic with Kalim
+ Enjoy his dynamic with others
+ Interesting/well-written
+ Voice
- Don’t like manipulative people
- Dislike his OB design
Vil:
+ Well-written
+ Resonate with him always being in second place
+ Breaks gender norms
+ His ethics and dedication
- “Rubs me the wrong way”
- Dislike the way he treats others and/or Epel
Idia:
+ Social anxiety (is relatable)
+ Fun to draw
+ Love his relationship with Ortho
- Cringe
- Not into otaku characters
- Boring
Malleus:
+ Relate to his fear of losing people and/or change
+ Like dragon and/or fae characters
+ Relationship/dynamic with Yuu/MC/Player
- Not interested in his role in the main story
- First Halloween event (I assume Endless Halloween Night, which is actually the second event?) made him look bad
Key Recurring Phrases
Depression
Leona: 29 mentions
Idia: 11 mentions
Anxiety
Azul: 1 mention
Idia: 24 mentions
Autism
Vil: 1 mention
Idia: 2 mentions
Malleus: 10 mentions
Yuu/MC/Player
Riddle: 4 mentions
Leona: 11 mentions
Azul: 3 mentions
Vil: 5 mentions
Idia: 6 mentions
Malleus: 24 mentions
(Gap) Moe
Riddle: 1 mention
Leona: 2 mentions
Malleus: 2 mentions
Cute
Riddle: 20 mentions
Leona: 5 mentions
Azul: 7 mentions
Jamil: 2 mentions
Idia: 12 mentions
Malleus: 18 mentions
*PLEASE SEE THE FULL RESEARCH DOCUMENT TO SEE CHARACTER WORD CLOUDS (and other charts/graphs/tables); Tumblr posts have a max image limit of 30 so it is not possible for us to include all images.
Specific points in the main story and/or events weighted Leona and Malleus down. Certain character dynamics enhanced or tore down a few OB boys (for Vil, it’s Epel; for Jamil, it’s Kalim, for Idia, it’s Ortho). Some most unique character traits were a big pro or con as well. For example, Vil’s breaking of gender norms was loved.
Yuu/MC/Player was often mentioned as a reason for liking Malleus. Malleus likers placed high weight on Malleus’s involvement and acknowledgement of Yuu in the main story.
Notably, diagnostic terms such as “depression”, “anxiety”, and “autism” (or variations therein) were frequently recurring for certain characters. Fans attributed these diagnoses to certain characters and cited relatability. For example, Leona had the most mentions with “depression”, Idia had the most mentions with "anxiety", and Malleus had the most mentions with “autism”.
Riddle was most frequently described as “cute”, but Malleus was a close second (2 less mentions). No one called Vil cute.
By maximum/highest word count in open-ended questions section:
FAVORITE
Malleus (963)
Leona (642)
Idia (606)
Jamil (599)
Azul (391)
Riddle (261)
Vil (231)
LEAST FAVORITE
Malleus (587)
Jamil (479)
Vil (460)
Azul (266)
Leona (167)
Riddle (149)
Idia (143)
By average word count in open-ended questions section:
FAVORITE
Jamil (61)
Leona (57)
Vil (48)
Azul (45)
Riddle (44)
Idia (44)
Malleus (43)
LEAST FAVORITE
Malleus (55)
Vil (44)
Jamil (39)
Leona (34)
Azul (33)
Idia (31)
Riddle (25)
Jamil likers had the average highest word count (61) when explaining why responders like him, followed by Leona likers’ average (57). Malleus likers had the average lowest word count (43) when explaining why responders like him.
Malleus dislikers had the highest average word count (55) when explaining why responders dislike him. Riddle dislikers had the lowest average word count (25) when explaining why responders dislike him.
In terms of individual responses with the highest maximum word count for favorite character, that distinction goes to a Malleus liker (963), followed by a Leona liker (642), an Idia liker (606), and a Jamil liker (599). A Vil liker had the lowest maximum word count at 231.
The characters with the highest maximum word count for least favorite character, the top three are a Malleus disliker (587), a Jamil disliker (479), and a Vil disliker (460). An Idia liker had the lowest maximum word count at 143.
We can conclude that:
Jamil likers talk the most on average to explain why they like him
Malleus likers talk the least on average to explain why they like him
Malleus dislikers talk the most on average to explain why they dislike him
Riddle dislikers had the lowest average word count when explaining why responders dislike him.
Malleus likers can yap for the longest to explain why they like him
Vil likers can yap the least to explain why they like him
Malleus dislikers can yap for the longest to explain why they dislike him
Idia likers can yap the least to explain why they dislike him
Weaknesses and the Future
Please see the full document for the complete list. No research project is perfect, and certainly not this one! If we were to do another project like this in the future, we'd take the limitations of this one into consideration.
sometimes I think about how far we still have to go with consent
my worst relatives try to sneak meat or meat products into my food despite the fact that I'm a vegetarian
my ex's brother gave his mother an edible without her knowledge and when she got freaked out and paranoid they laughed, and people I've told that go "yeah that's shitty but it's just weed"
when I go to the doctor and ask them to describe what they are going to do before touching me they get frustrated
when I ask a friends of a friend who is a small influencer to keep me out of frame in videos they film for social media in public they look at me like I've pissed in their cereal
It's the fifth Twst Merch Giveaway! 🥳 Ends at 12pm on 11/9 (JST)
Item: Character Fine Matte (Pomefiore)
Within the next 24 hours please do the following:
1) Reblog this post
2) Apply via Google form:
Round One: Character Fine Matte (Pomefiore) Round Two: Scarf Tote Bag (Ignihyde) (coming soon) Round Three: Portrait Case with Group Portrai
Shipping: Free of charge to any country except where the post office says no. Details here: https://twstnote.com/twst-merch-giveaway/
Don’t Forget: Be certain to repost the Giveaway announcement on the platform you prefer (multiple platforms is ok). Follows/Likes not required.
Winners: To be contacted via email and not announced publicly, so please make sure to provide an accurate email address. Winners will have one week to respond before a new winner is selected.
It's the fifth Twst Merch Giveaway! 🥳 Ends at 12pm on 11/9 (JST)
Item: Character Fine Matte (Pomefiore)
Within the next 24 hours please do the following:
1) Reblog this post
2) Apply via Google form:
Round One: Character Fine Matte (Pomefiore) Round Two: Scarf Tote Bag (Ignihyde) (coming soon) Round Three: Portrait Case with Group Portrai
Shipping: Free of charge to any country except where the post office says no. Details here: https://twstnote.com/twst-merch-giveaway/
Don’t Forget: Be certain to repost the Giveaway announcement on the platform you prefer (multiple platforms is ok). Follows/Likes not required.
Winners: To be contacted via email and not announced publicly, so please make sure to provide an accurate email address. Winners will have one week to respond before a new winner is selected.
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