So when I first saw Swing, the belts on his shirt reminded me of a straitjacket, the one that used in media for those in mental asylums.
So after we got the full design, it only furthered this connection, with his white pant/jumpsuit and belt on his leg as well.
Considering what is shown in the Abema live stream, like how his left hand has a handcuff. I think this dude was probably some escaped prisoner/patient or something.
Now consider this, in the last event, when the bois NRC awoke in the hinterland, they were so wary of the soft boy Skully, who was equally confused about this situation. I hope when the gang meets Swing, they immediately trust the clearly suspicious and evil man who probably an escaped convict. It would be so funny.
In this post, we will be analyzing notable connections between Crowley, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. Then go over what we learn in for in book 8 Ch 1. Lastly, we will consider how Snow White eating the poison apple and Sleeping Beauty pricking the spinning wheel could point toward something similar happening in book 8.
Pre-book 8/Context/Methodology
Note: the context section is really unnecessary for this theory. Unfortunately, I have to write like this some academic paper because I need to make myself suffer. So skip to the next or last section to actually get to what the theory about.
From books 1 to 7, the general plot aligns with the movie that inspired it, and in turn could be used to predict story beats. For example, before book 7, we knew in some way or form that someone was going to be put to sleep by Malleus. Alright, these similarities become way too obvious in hindsight. Like going into book 6, I didn't expect the dev to take Hades taking over the world to translate to brothers resetting the end of the world. With book 8, we don't have a clear singular movie to reference for plot, but we do know that Crowley will be a big player, as revealed in the book 8 teaser (ref 12). So we can make the assumption that whatever character Crowley is twisted from will tell us what movie used to predict plot points. While there is no confirmed character Crowley is based on, he is likely inspired by the Diablo from Sleeping Beauty and/or the crow/raven in the Evil Queen's dungeon from Snow White. So let's summarize notable connections between Crowley ( + Night Raven College) and OG Disney references.
Crowley and Snow White
The main artifact of the school is the Dark Mirror, resembling the Magic Mirror, where Crowley does a recreation of "magic mirror on the wall" with the intro scene. Crowley's design contains multiple mirrors, and his vacation outfit has apples. Night Raven College has multiple motifs related to Snow White, which makes sense considering Pomefiore is the oldest dorm of Night Raven College. The game seems to point toward Crowley having more fondness for the evil queen and Vil (ref 1). Musically speaking, Crowley's theme share similar motifs with Vil's Overblot theme, particularly with the opening bell (ref 2). The bell is also present in Crowley special lesson theme. In Crowley's personal story, he calls the NRC students "his beloved apple tree".
Crowley and Sleeping Beauty
Interestingly, Crowley's main connection to Sleepy Beauty/Diasomnia is Malleus, as there are a ton of parallels between the two (ref 3). Which connects to the theory of Crowley being Malleus dad - Raverne/Levan. Raverne is considered missing but isn't confirmed to be dead. Crowley is a fae who has a mask similar to the Briar Valley soldier, and considers himself kind, which Lilia describes Raverne as a kind man (ref 4)(ref 11). Although, I would like to note the possibility of Crowley being Raverne brother. There has been some motif of twin/pair birds represented at Night Raven, with the coliseum and the main gate backgrounds.
(Look at all those corvine)
In the 6th anniversary event, Malleus reports seeing two crows at the gate (yes, I may be losing my mind, but what about it). Twisted Wonderland does have a trend of doom siblings with Idia and Ortho, Rollo and his young brother, and Malleus and Silver (I guess we could also consider Leona and Falena). Here is another person interpretation of this idea (ref 5).
I will note that there have been posts regarding the connection between Diasomnia and Pomefiore, but for time sake, I will list some here (ref 6) (ref 7) (ref 8) (ref 13).
The point I am trying to make is that there's a connection between Crowley/NRC with Pomefiore and Diasomnia. So in turn, we should look at Snow White and Sleeping Beauty for references to what could happen in book 8. Although I am not saying the other Disney movies won't make an impact on book 8 story. We are just focusing on these two for this theory.
BOOK 8.1
Firstly, we start this book with Yuu having a dream of the Evil Queen, alongside Grim dreaming of being dunked in a cauldron.
(Translation by Valkyrii)
Consider what Yuu dream, it safe to say that Grim dream was referencing the scene of the Evil Queen dunking the poison apple, or in this case Grim. This is definitely foreshadowing, and what it is hinting at we will discuss in a bit.
The next important thing is the Princess Glow/Majestic Ember, the mage stone on Meleanor/Maleanor staff. It reveals to be a wish piece, something able to create miracles similar to what Silver's ring did at the end of book 7. Which seems to be the excuse Henrick used for trying to take over the Brairland. Anyway, it was turned into a chalice called the Miracle Cup that was able to cure the Silver Owl sick king. Then Leah gave the chalice to the Three Fairies, who in turn gave it to the first Ambrose, resulting in the chalice becoming the Championship Trophy for the interdorm competition. Which means there is actually a stake of NRC winning or losing the game. However, as far as we know, only two characters know about this, that being Trein and Crowley. We currently don't know if they will share this information during the competition. I will note that if Crowley decided to keep this a secret, I find that to be a big red flag.
Bonus note: apparently someone pointed out that in the dream Yuu had at the beginning of the chapter, the evil queen appears to have some form of chalice, possibly alluding to the Miracle Cup (ref 9).
The Actual Theory
So a while back I was rewatching (having it in the background) Snow White while drawing. Surprisingly, the movie, or more specifically Snow White, has a thematic focus on wishes. Snow White, in her first appearance at a wishing well, singing of true love to find her. But here the interesting part, you want to know how the Evil Queen managed to convince Snow White to bite the apple - by saying it a wishing apple (ref 15). Which then I realized we are fucked.
You see, based on a sequence in the Twst opening, it implied that Crowley is possibly going to poison Yuu (or someone) with an apple at Pomefiore, like in Snow White. But I think we have a better direction of what exactly is being hinted at.
Wishes & Desire
We know that Book 8 will focus on wish/desire since in my previous analysis I discussed how the NBC Christmas event put a large focus on desire and how it plays in spellcasting (ref 10).
(Translation by Valkyrii)
Desire is basically the same as wishes, like two sides of the same coin. Magic started out as a miracle born from a wish/desire, as stated by Lilia. We already discussed the importance of the wish piece, but we also need to consider that Princess Glow is able to amplify magic, which plays a part in this. Now, Yuu with their limited characterization, does have some desire (varies depending on player choice). They want to go home or/and not be useless consider they are the only magicless person in school. Here is a similar analysis of this topic (ref 14).
Although Grim has his own desire/want since his whole deal is becoming the great mage. But remember his dream at the beginning of the chapter points toward him being the poison apple. What this implied is that Grim will be a cataclysm for something back, definitely related to the Overblot.
The Apple?
Now I know we have been saying that Yuu is going to get poison, but is that really the case? In the original scene, the evil queen convinces Snow White to take a bite by proclaiming the apple is able to grant wishes. So in turn we should expect Crowley to use an object, saying it is able to grant wishes. But what if that object is able to grant wishes and we already been introduced to it? That's right, I am talking about the Princess Glow, which Crowley at this point of the story knows about and will get his hand on if NRC finally wins.
How It Will Play out
Now let's take a moment to talk about the wish piece inspiration. While the Princess Glow could be a nod to Maleficent staff, it also could be inspired by the green light that lures Aurora to the spinning wheel by Maleficent.
Interestingly, there are some similarities between the poison apple and the green light scene (ref 15) (ref 16). Both have the princess being lured toward "death" by the antagonist.
Then we have a group of characters who do understand the danger and rush to save the princess.
Which they fail, resulting in the princess trapped in a sleep/death like state.
We mention already that devs tend to follow story beats (even when it's detrimental to game story, but that's a topic for another day).
So considering all of this, let us imagine a hypothetical scenario.
NRC managed to win against RSA and obtain the champion trophy. While everyone is celebrating at NRC, Crowley invited Yuu and Grim to Pomefiore. During this, Crowley would talk his way into getting the pair to make a wish or something on the Princess Glow. Which I assume it would be Grim (cataclysm). Whatever this wish is will be a trigger for something horrible, possibly putting Yuu to sleep or something. During all of this, the cast would realize that something is wrong and try to stop this but fail.
Now I am not saying this exact scenario will happen, but something similar to it will, considering all the different points I mention and how they best could be connected. So yeah.
Ghost Prefect, Thru The Mirror, Dream, Book 8 and Other Random Stuff
TWST THEORY + Analysis: Note #008
Part 1, Part 2
2,500K word, because I need to make my self suffer.
Warning : Jp spoilers
Abstract
So there is a popular theory that Yuu/Prefect is dead, but I generally don't see many people talk about the mechanism or the impact on the story. So I want to flesh it out a bit, although the main theory is relatively straightforward. It is the explanation that's a bit much, and unfortunately I am not the greatest writer, so please forgive me.
The prefect in their world is either dead or in a coma, while their spirit/ghost/consciousness is in Twisted Wonderland. Basically an out of body experience.
Evidence Toward Ghost Prefect
As mentioned before, there been multiple analysis about the connections between the prefect, Death, and Night Raven College (ref 1, ref 2). That do a lot better job of explaining it than I do, but I will list the common points out here regardless.
Firstly, Night Raven has a crap ton of references to death. Especially in regard to the opening ceremony. Kalim in his robe card mentions how they look like they are wearing funerary garb. This is mainly because everyone is wearing black, which is common at funerals. (This technically applies to their uniform as well.)
The gates are literal coffins, with Crowley's description of the gate seeming to lean toward death and rebirth direction.
Which is so on the nose
Night Raven College is a school full of ghosts, especially in regard to Ramshackle. Which, as far as we know, is a trait specific to this school, as we don't get any mention of ghosts at Noble Bell College (although they do have gargoyles).
The school is themed after raven/crow/corvine, which are sometimes associated with death (ref 3). The armbands that the boys wear on their uniforms may be associated with mourning armband (ref 4). Then we have the carriage that picks up Yuu which is design after a horse-drawn hearse used for funerals (ref 5).
Now, some of you are asking me, "why are we discussing about Night Raven College when this is about the Prefect?" Technically speaking, Yuu and Grim are labeled as part of Night Raven College in the both the gacha and the guest room. Because of this connection, I will consider this info as evidence for this discussion.
In addition, consider the event that happened in the prologue. Yuu get hit by the carriage/hearse (based on the manga and anime). Then wake up in one of the gates/coffins, during a ceremony where everyone is wearing black. It kind of feels like the opening ceremony is meant to represent a funeral - yuu funeral perhaps. Although, technically speaking, the Prefect was never properly awakened by Crowley. Just food for thought.
Then we have the fact that all the Prefects in the Manga adaptation have last named related to death (ref 6).
We can also consider the ghost camera may have a connection with corpse photography from the Victorian era (ref 7).
Ramshackle dorm, where the prefect lives, is a place filled with ghosts. One of the main inspirations for this dorm is the Mickey Mouse short "Lonesome Ghosts" (ref 8) (ref 12) and we could make an argument that it is also inspired by the Haunted Mansion.
We also can take into consideration the NBC event, where Skully is confirmed dead and is a ghost. As I discussed in detail in another post, Halloween events tend to foreshadow future themes and events of the main story, so this could fact could apply to yuu (ref 9).
Now I want to clarify that all the evidence I present is mainly symbolic and doesn't directly prove that yuu a ghost but rather points toward the idea. But that being said, there is a strong connection between yuu and the concept of death/afterlife. For the sake of this discussion, we will assume that yuu a ghost.
THRU THE MIRROR/THE MECHANISM
Okay, now that we have the idea that Yuu is a ghost, how could this work in the context of the game story? Well, we made already got a peek with Mickey Mouse.
As the game progresses, we slowly gain new information about Mickey until we finally meet him in the Dream Room in book 7. During this encounter, Mickey explained how enters this "place". When he falls asleep, his soul leaves his body and enters the mirror like a ghost.
He also mentions the weird stuff he experienced, mainly the battle against the card soldier, and whatnot.
At the end of this experience, he wakes up by the sound of his alarm in his room. What he is describing is one of the scenes from "Thru the Mirror," a Mickey Mouse short (ref 10).
Which, considering Mickey's story, along with Grim and Prefect's experience in this room, it's safe to say this short is canon TWST lore. This implies that this mechanism of entering the dream as some form of ghost is canon to TWST.
(Also, take note of how Yuu describe this info.)
Okay, so now that we've got that established, how does this apply to the Prefect? Well, there is a possibility that Yuu and Mickey are mirrors of one another or are at least connected. The most obvious parallel is with the Yuu's room, the Dream Room, and, in turn Mickey's room.
The game even described the dream room as a "Ramshackle-ish room".
Then there is this interesting thing that happens in 4-40 in the JP version. When Mickey asks, "Who are you?" if you have the default name Yuu, it makes it seem that Prefect responded, "I am Yuu/You". (ref 13, ref 14).
There some other stuffs, like both being magicless, both encouraging others to work together (ref 11). Ramshackle Dorm being inspired by Mickey Mouse shorts (Thru the Mirror and Lonesome Ghosts). The 100 years anniversary card, where Mickey and Grim are matching.
So if Yuu is meant to parallel Mickey, is there a possibility that Prefect is able to enter their dream just like Mickey (possible as some form of ghost)?
We may have already seen Yuu enter their dream through the mirror with the Disney dream cutscene. The cutscene starts with POV entering the mirror, with a similar thing happening as we exit the mirror, like how it is portrayed in "Thru the Mirror". In addition, Yuu tends to describe the experience as feeling real, like they actually enter the dream. Furthermore, the Ost name for these cutscenes is called "I May Be Dreaming," which implies that it isn't a simple dream experience.
Now some of you are wondering, "if Yuu is a ghost, how are they able to interact with stuff and move through difference planes of existence and dream? Is this even possible, and other questions regarding the semantics? Well, someone has already asked these questions - that being Malleus to Ortho.
We also know it's possible for people to have a dream inside a dream, as seen when the Prefect found themselves in the Dream Room, Grim was having a dream about a tuna.
DREAM ROOM & IN BETWEEN SPACE
Okay, to continue this discussion, we need to contextualize the "location" of the dream plane and reality and whatnot. So I made this diagram to showcase it. This is the point where you should have realized I have lost my mind.
(Figure 1) (Hall of Dream = Corridor of Dream = Dreamway)
In the middle of this diagram, we have the Dream Room that is located within the Hall/Corridor of Dreams along with all the other dreams we witness during Book 7. The Hall of Dream (or Dreamways) is basically a subconscious plane where dreams existed and whatnot. We know this Dream Room is connected to Twisted Wonderland, as Silver was able to "visit" this place with his UM, and the Ramshackle duo "waking up" in this place in Book 7. The Dream Room is also connected to Mickey's world, as Mickey is able to come visit this place, as showcased in "Thru the Mirror". We could think of the Dream Room and Dreamway as a bridge between these two worlds. Although you have to be asleep to access this pathway. If we were to be very specific about how there is only one entrance to the dream room (the mirror) (although we don't have evidence to prove that), you could think of the dream room like a railway turntable or wheelhouse. This makes the Dream Room and the Dreamway some form of in-between space between worlds.
Now, it seems like kind of a stretch, but this idea of an in-between space does exist within Twisted Wonderland, with both space and time. We see this in the first Nightmare Before Christmas event with the strange book, where it connected the Skully, who from the past, and the NRC bois from the present. Although it's likely that in the part two of the Nightmare Before Christmas event, we may get to see the book connection people across space with Swing and the current cast.
Which we could go into the possibility that Mickey is from the past, since there is mention of a Mage (Yidsid) and apprentice (Mickey) recount in a Sage Island legend discussed at the end of Book 7. This story is a reference to the short "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (ref 15). But that is a rabbit hole I am not in the mood to deal with
Another example we could look toward is the Hinterlands, in the same Nightmare Before Christmas event that connected different holidays to one another, kind of like the Dreamway or Dream Room.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BOOK 8
So after all of these considerations, how does this relate to book 8? Based on the ending of the book 7 epilogue regarding the Mickey Mouse Investigation and all that we have established so far, it is safe to assume we will be returning to the dreams. (WE ARE BACK IN THE FUCKING BUILDING AGAIN, AHHHHH).
Diasomnia will be helping us out with the investigation, including Silver (can travel through people's dreams) and Malleus (former Dream Admin). In addition, we have Ortho, who was critical in locating the Dream ID in Book 7. So we have the member needed to traverse the Dreamway.
Now, we discussed how the Dreamway/Dream Room acts as an in-between area between worlds. So, if Yuu is some kind of ghost, then in theory the Perfect could return to their own world using the Dream Room (Fig 2).
(Figure 2)
However, I believe if we see the cast try something like this, it probably won't work. Mainly because the Prefect is an empty slate of a character, and you can't really show Yuu returning to their own world until the very end of the story.
On the other hand, I want to make an argument that we will somehow end up in the Disney/Yuu dream. It was one of the things that wasn't discussed during the book 7 epilogue, likely because the writers are saving that for Book 8.
Something that may hint at this is gacha, that I already discussed before in another post (ref 17). In book 7, we got a special set of cards for the cast based on their dream outfit. They also seem to be connected to the title you get for collecting ten ards of a specific character . When Book 7 ended, most of the characters had gotten one of the dream cards. The only ones without a Dream card that we know what it will look like is Riddle and Leona, which should be their Overblot card.
That leaves a good chunk of the first gang including Ace, Deuce, Jack, Epel, and Grim. Wouldn't it make sense to go back to the dream so we can get interesting outfits for these guys to wear. Since I am not sure how special they can design an outfit based on the interschool competition. Furthermore, what better dream to enter than the ones regarding the Great Seven.
Adding to this, we also been hinted at the possibility of TWST characters meeting their OG counterparts. We see this with the recent Halloween event where Skully meets Jack Skellington (Ref 9). We could also make the argument that the Lost in the Book event is a test run for this idea and how it could work in Book 8.
Moving on, here is a random idea that is related to what we been talking about. It could be possible that Mickey could use the Dreamway/Dream Room enter Twisted Wonderland, a reversal of what I propose for the Prefect. I don't really have any evidence for this, but it's an interesting concept. Anyway, this is a diagram regarding the hypothetical pathway (Fig. 3).
(figure 3)
The last thing we shall focus on is how does this relates to Crowley. Because this dude will be playing an important part in book 8 story, based off the preview we got. Unfortunately for us, we really don't have much idea of this bird's motive or goal is.
Let's take into consideration this scene in the prologue of book 7, when the first year gang is explaining the Mirror. When Crowley learned about the "Mickey Mouse Investigation", he prevented the first year from continuing their research because it was possible for one to get sucked into a gateway to another world and vanish (oh, now you are telling us this information).
He changes his mind once the Diasomnia agrees to supervise, even offering credit hours for the investigation. This is super sus, he either doesn't want the Prefect to find a way home or wants to rope Malleus and Lilia into the investigation for some grand plan. But that still doesn't give a clear answer.
If it is the case that Crowley is the one responsible for yuu circumstance. (The whole being asleep/death thingy, since that is what this theory is about). The Mickey investigation will either be against or part of his plan. I will note that, as far as we know, Crowley doesn't know about the Prefect's having those strange dream.
Although, here is a random idea. There is a chance that Crowley is possibly going to poison Yuu with an apple, based on some images from the TWST opening.
(the shot in sequence)
Let's say that yuu get poisoned and fall unconscious. Then they wake up in the Disney dream or in the Dream Room and have to navigate from there.
CONCLUSION
Anyway, that all I have. I have been working on this for too long. I have had this idea for a long while, even before book 7, but I only really finalized it last month. It is very likely that most of this will be wrong, but at least if something turns out to be right, then I will be happy. Regardless, I am tired from writing and editing this theory, so that will be all.
You know, I've been thinking
During the Abema live stream, they revealed that Christmas does not exist in Twisted Wonderland. Which is interesting to consider the winter break event, as there is a bunch of holiday themed backgrounds and furniture.
Like look at all of this.
But this implied that Yuu managed to put up all these decorations or conceived the NRC cast to help in the festivities.
Which, if this is the case, Yuu is probably the BIGGEST Christmas fan. The person who put up their Christmas tree on Nov 1st at midnight. Which is just a funny image.
TWST Halloween event as a tool for predicting/previewing main story context (PT 2)
TWST THEORY + Analysis: Note #012
1,700 k word
(Part 1, Part 2)
WARNING: Spoiler for the Nightmare Before Christmas Event, part two. We will mainly look at how the NBC part 2 could foreshadow themes/topics for book 8. In addition, I will add some stuff I forgot to include in the last post. For context, I recommend reading the last post to have a clue what I am talking about.
PLAYFUL LAND
One thing I forgot to mention, that I am ashamed to admit, is the class difference in Twisted Wonderland, that core theme in Playful Land. Fellow mentioned not being given the opportunity to go to school because of his lackluster magic and being poor. He also note how life would be much easier for Gidel if he had magic.
Which is a core reason for fellow hatred towards spoiled rich scholars like many students from NRC, especially those who take for granted the opportunity they are given.
We also have the boss of Playful Land, who is a top tier mage with a great deal of financial power. Who runs the puppet operation with ease and, as far as we know, is never punished for his crime.
Basically, the class inequality in Twst is similar to how it is in the real world, but with the added factor that the more magic ability you possess, the greater opportunity a person has.
We also have seen this represented with Ruggie. He grew up very poor but was fortunate enough to have a decent amount of magic ability to go to Night Raven College.
As discussed before, Fellow and Gidel are parallel to the Ramshackle duo. While I don't believe it directly states in the story how much money Yuu has, we can assume it is barely enough to sustain oneself. Furthermore, their finances are limited by their allowance. With Grim, the game has made multiple statements about the direbeast's lackluster magic, best showcased in Idia's analyses of Grim in book 6.
The point is that Yuu and Grim are a lower rank compared to their classmate, which can cause some conflict or frustration that could present itself in book 8. Yuu has dialogue discussing how useless they feel.
Nightmare before Christmas (Halloween)
I just want to point out this one scene that seems very much like foreshadowing.
This is basically what happened with Yuu, who was summoned to Night Raven College and was told by Crowley they will change the school in the prologue.
Furthermore, the birdman has a lot of suspicious behavior, and considering the title of the next book, I don't think Crowley is to be trusted.
Like, that is not the face of a trustworthy individual.
Nightmare before Christmas (Christmas)
Ghost and Double
Adding onto my previous analysis, I mention two concepts present in both Nightmare Before Christmas events that could be introduced in book 8. The first being ghosts/death, because in NBC pt 1, Skully is revealed to be from the past and dead in the present day. But when the cast meet him in Halloween Town, he was alive. However, in Part 2, we meet Skully again but as a ghost, which could be foreshadowing/parallel to the Yuu is dead/ghost theory.
The second thing was Twst characters meeting their OG Disney counterparts. First, we had Skully and Jack Skellington, discussed already. This time we got Swing and Oogie Boogie, who team up to take over all holidays. However, there is conflict between the two, mainly because Swing had no intention of sharing the holiday with Oogie. Although Oogie does get frustrated with Swing, like when Swing didn't go after NRC bois because of a coin flip. As discussed before, I propose that this could be a test run for the NRC boys meeting their OG counterparts for book 8. But if the NBC event as a whole is hinting to there being conflict if this happens. For a more in depth discussion of this and ghost Yuu, reference the theory I wrote a bit back (ref 1).
The Role of a Prefect
Now, something shocking that actually happened during this event was that the Prefect was actually relevant for once. It wasn't much, but it was something. Christmas is a holiday that isn't celebrated in Twisted Wonderland, making Yuu one of the few who knows about it. Although, since the Prefect is a faceless character, Santa and Jack Skellington were the ones to initially explain Christmas to the gang. However, in Book 3 of the event, when the NRC bois didn't want to help Santa, it was up to Yuu to try to convince everyone to help prepare for Christmas. This may be a test run for something Yuu may do in Book 8. As mentioned already, Crowley believes Yuu to be someone who can bring people together.
Furthermore, Book 8 will have NRC and RSA compete in the interschool competition. Could the Prefect be able to bring everyone together to finally get a victory after 100 years. These RSA has been beating NRC is because of their teamwork.
Power of team work, Overcome a powerful enemy
During the event, the gang had to work together to overcome a powerful enemy, Swing. This reminds me of the intro fight against the prologue monster, likely to be Grim. I don't have much to say about this idea, considering the gang didn't do much bickering about working together. The only real exception was Ruggie, who switched sides after the cast failed to defeat Swing. However, this would be interesting if the situation is meant to parallel something in book 8.
Swing is quite different from the previous Halloween guest character. For one, he is a fae with extremely powerful magic. Most importantly, he is the closest Twisted Wonderland has to a pure "evil" cast member since he. Past Halloween characters had backstories of why they acted "villainous" from grief, loneliness, or circumstance. Swing, however, is motivated purely by greed/desire. That is not to say he doesn't have depth. We can assume Skully's death likely had an impact on Swing, but the dude was already a d?ck before all that. Now we don't know much about Crowley, but he is likely a fae. We can assume he is good at magic if he is the headmage of a arcane academy. Considering the preview we got for book 8, Crowley is likely up to no good. The birdman is head of Night Raven College, the school with primarily villainous students, so it would be strange if he didn't have villainous qualities.
So let's say that Crowley will parallel Swing, and he is meant to be the "villain" that the NRC gang must go against in book 8. If things were to follow the event of the NBC part 2 situation, which character would likely betray the NRC cast? My gut says Grim, considering the first battle and Grim eating all those stones. I assume the reason would be something related to you, maybe not wanting them to leave. Also, I know some of you are going to ask about traitor Ace since that has been a very old theory in this fandom. But it is very unlikely for Ace to betray the Prefect, considering how much he cares for them, as showcased in his dream. Besides, his traitor theme is more related to him betraying the queen, aka Riddle, in Book 1. One final note, this situation we have been discussing could just be a reference to the NRC cast going against OB Malleus in book 7, since Malleus is a powerful green eyed fae like Swing.
What is magic
For most of the game, we've been learning that the core of magic conception is imagination. As a mage, you must be able to envision a spell. This topic was discussed quite a bit in book 7 during dream travel, as each person's ability to magnify their happy story varies. However, in the NBC Pt 2 event, Swing says that the core of magic is desire, that you must want something to happen.
(Translation by Valkyrii)
This is a different perspective on how magic fundamentally works and is showcased when Swing used his unique magic. When everyone magic switches, all the NRC students have trouble using one anothers unique magic. This is because a signature spell is specific to one person, so they would believe they shouldn't be able to master someone else magic. Swing one another hand, want to use the unique magic he obtained, and so he will. Furthermore, Ruggie was able to use Jack UM in a moment of pure fury, likely related to the desire to fuck up Swing.
(Translation by Valkyrii)
Now Swing seems to have a more accurate understanding of magic. "Desire" is very similar to "wish", as they both relate to "wanting." Magic was initially a miracle, both from a wish/desire, as mentioned by Lilia. We witness the power of a wish, as Malleus and Silver were able to bring Lillia back from the brink of death in Book 7. So in book 8, are we to expect this idea of wish/desire to play some part?
Maybe Grim wishes to be stronger, or the Prefect wishes to be useful or to go home. We have yet to get Grim UM, and that something to consider since that was a big focus in this event. Anyway, whatever part of book 8 that uses the concept of wish/desire will end up being a Chekhov's Gun or something.
Conclusion
Anyway, that all I have for right now. I could discuss more stuff, but I can't think of anything interesting to mention. Besides, Book 8 will drop this month, so there isn't a need for more prediction. Although if Book 8 drags on for a few years like Book 7, I may add a part 3 for a future Halloween event, which I hope is Peter Pan themed. PPPPLLSSS dev, I need it. So yeah.
Dream Room, Magical Domain, Overblot and Other Random Stuff
Part 1, Part 2
TWST THEORY + Analysis: Note #019
1,900 k word how does this keep happening
Warning : Book 8.2 + Jp spoilers
Abstract: A quick analysis of the information we learn in 8.2 from the Mickey investigation and theorize how the dream room functions, its condition, and who created it.
BOOK 8.2
First, a quick summary. The chapter starts out with the gang finally formalizing the schedule for the Mickey investigation that will start on the day of the tournaments. They decided this considering they still don't know the exact condition of when Mickey appears, and it best to start before the summer break. Knowing that visits with Mickey don't last long, they prepare some questions to ask him regarding his world and how he enters the dream room. They also will record the condition in which Mickey appeared.
However, it turned out that Mickey appeared that same night, and they were able to have a conversation. To answer the first question, Mickey is from a pretty standard world that doesn't seem to have a "systematized form" of magic (except for the power OF FRIENDSHIP). As for the condition to enter the dream room. Mickey doesn't have a clue, considering he does the same routine every night. We learn that on the outskirts of his town there is an old mansion where laughter could be heard, possibly being haunted.
After the impromptu interview, the gang came to some conclusion. Considering Silver and Grim were able to use their magic in the dream room, it likely originated from Twisted Wonderland (or created by someone on our side). Furthermore, Mickey remembers what happened in the dream room is similar to how the NRC bois were able to remember the book 7 dream. Indicating that the dream room is very likely a magical domain/dimension like what Malleus made. Lastly, consider there may be ghosts at the outskirts of Mickey Town, and ghosts are a sign of magic, and Mickey World doesn't have magic. All of this could mean magic from Twisted Wonderland is leaking into Mickey World through the mirror. That what we learn from this chapter, and the gang are looking into how to enter the room without Malleus using Fae of Maleficence.
DREAM ROOM & MAGICAL DOMAIN
Now in chapter 8.2, the game gives us a diagram of the location of the dream room.
(Translation by Valkyrii)
I would like to note that based on the in game graphic, it implied that Mickey has traveled to Twisted Wonderland but doesn't have access to the rest of the world. We could think of it like someone stuck at the airport in a new country. But most importantly, give us a second character from another world beside.
Now, this diagram is actually similar to diagrams I created for the previous part of this theory (ref 1).
Particularly with this diagram, where the dream room acts as a between space, although I never state what world the corridor of dream/dreamway is located in. While the game points toward the dream room being a magical domain or located in one, it still functions under dream rules. Silver was able to travel to the dream before book 7 using his unique magic (UM), the room breaking once Mickey woke up. So the dream room could still be present in the corridor of dreams, like I present in my diagram. Which I wonder if the creator of the dream room cast a similar spell as Malleus.
I also want to bring your attention to something. This isn't the first time we had a mirror that connected people to Magical Domain, in fact, the students of NRC interact with this every day. I am talking about the Night Raven College dorm, as they are located in their own magical dimension (ref 2). This was mentioned in Book 4, when OB Jamil yeeted the gang to the end of the world.
(4-33 I believe)
The dorm also functions similarly to the dream room, a magical domain that you have to go through a mirror to enter. So could the same system or spell result in both the dorm dimension and the dream room. Now the thing is we don't know, or at least I wasn't able to find anything on how the dorm dimension functions and whatnot. But we should take note of this.
DREAM ROOM CONDITION
So far in the story, the Mickey investigation team still does not have a clue about the condition for Mickey to appear. However, we as the PLAYER have more information, and it safe to assume that it connects to the Overblot. As of book 8.2, Mickey has been to the dream room nine times.
The first one we witness was in Book 3, when the prefect returns to their dorm after Azul Overblot and sees Mickey's silhouette.
In Book 4, he appears once Yuu returns home after Jamil's Overblot. During the brief conversation, Mickey mentioned that he already had this dream 3 times already, not including this one.
He appears two times in Book 5, the first after Yuu returns to their room while Ace, Deuce, and Grim are cursed by Vil for eating sweets. Which is the first time the Prefect sees him clearly. The second visit is when Yuu returned to their dorm after Vil Overblot and was able to get a picture of him.
In Book 6, he appears once Yuu return home after week of repair of Ramshackle due to Styx wrecking the place. During this only Yuu was able to see Mickey in the mirror. This is when Mickey mention that someone else has been in the dream room (aka Silver).
In book 7, when Malleus Overblot, Yuu and Grim wake up in the dream room (inspired by the short, Thru the Mirror), they meet Mickey. Which I discuss quite a bit in the previous part (ref 1).
So far in Book 8, the recent visit where mickey was to converse with the investigation team.
Considering all of this, what pattern can we grasp? One consistent condition is that Yuu is the one present/the witness. Inciting some connection with Yuu and the mirror and/or Mickey. This is further supported in book 6 when only Yuu could see Mickey and not Grim.
I already discussed in part 1 of this theory the parallel between Yuu and Mickey, which still stands.
The more interesting condition is Mickey usually appears in relation to an Overblot. Four out of nine visits actually happen on the same day as an Azul, Jamil, Vil, & Malleus Overblot. As for the three visits Mickey mentioned in Book 4, we know that one should be the Book 3 visit. This leaves two visits that could be associated with Leona and Riddle Overblot. Idia Overblot happening off campus makes him a weird outlier, and I'm not sure how to explain him.
But why are Overblots connected to Mickey's visit? As mentioned already, magic could be leaking from Twisted Wonderland to Mickey World. The Overblot at NRC has resulted in the creation of phantoms because of the extensive use of magic.
It wouldn't be shocking to consider that the Overblot results in the influx of magic leaking. This also could explain why with each visit the connection between Yuu and Mickey is clearer, because with each overblot the amount of magic is increased. Although that means the magic that is being leaked is stored some way.
However, if we are saying that one of the conditions for the dream room to manifest is an Overblot or an influx of magic, what about the other visits in Books 5 and 8? It's hard to tell, the one in Book 5 happens after Yuu has a dream, which may be connected to that. Although, I think the best explanation is that it was needed to progress the story. We could say the same thing with book 8.2 visits. But a part of me is worried about the possibility that something or someone else is causing the influx of magic to Mickey World outside the overblot. Maybe the creator of the dream room.
CREATOR & PURPOSE
(Note: From this point on is crack theory territory, compared to before.
Now, to actually focus on a question that I been avoiding, who is the creator/owner of the Dream Room? We know that the creator is from Twisted Wonderland, discussed in book 8.2. Considering that the dream room contains similarities to the dorm dimension at NRC points toward the creator being connected to NRC. This makes sense since that where most of the Overblots happen. The dream room function similar to Malleus dream realm. Lastly, the dream room technically transports Mickey to another world, similar to the Prefect. Considering all of this, who do you think this points toward? Obviously, it Crowley.
Crowley is the Headmage of NRC, so whatever system is used to establish/maintain the dorms, he should be able to access it. Crowley also has a number of parallels with Malleus (ref 3). The game's opening cutscene seems to imply that Crowley summons the Perfect with the Dark Mirror. Also, Crowley is generally super sus and is the main focus of book 8. Of course, I am not saying he is the actual culprit but he is a most likely candidate. Furthermore, we still have no idea what Crowley motive is and what not, so it hard to make definitive statements about him.
But a better question to consider is if the dream room is intentionally created or is a byproduct of another spell/objective. Because think about it, what purpose would Crowley or someone have in making a magical domain to bring an anthropoid mouse from a world without magic? But what if the dream room is a byproduct of trying to bring someone else from another world - the Prefect. I already mentioned the parallel between Mickey and Yuu in previous part of this theory. With the added evidence, neither Yuu or Mickey worlds have a "systematized form" of magic. This could explain the connection between the two.
However, if the dream room is a side effect/remnant of a spell in which it brings Mickey/conscience/spirit to Twisted Wonderland. Wouldn't that imply something similar with Yuu when they were brought to Twisted Wonderland, or at least their spirit? Insert Yuu is a ghost theory, which this theory is already technically a part two of. Although to prove this idea, I think with the next visit or so, Mickey will have to actually enter Twisted Wonderland as present in this diagram I made.
That Kind all I have to say about cause I am tired writing so yeahhh.
Side note:
In the previous part of this theory I quick mention the idea of Crowley poisoning Yuu and then them having to wake up in dream room or yuu dream. Yeah I have another theory where I go in depth regarding Crowley "poisoning" (ref 4).
TWST Halloween event as a tool for predicting/previewing main story context (PT 1)
TWST THEORY + Analysis: Note #006
1,400 k word
(Part 1, Part 2)
WARNING: This will contain spoilers to all the main story content and Halloween event, but the only JP-exclusive stuff is the ending to book 7 and Skully's card, so only EN players might want to check this out later. In addition, it's like 1400 words, which I try to divide into sections, but I am not the greatest writer, so please forgive me.
Context/Methodology
Okay, you may be asking, why the heck am I talking about using the Halloween event to predict book 8's theme/plot? Is there some actual merit to this method? Well, because that had been the case in the past, in regard to book 7. For example, how Endless Halloween WAS BASICALLY A TEST RUN FOR BOOK 7.
In both stories, we have Malleus cast a magic domain where time stops.
Most of the cast are then trapped in some weird state, where they maybe act differently.
There is a group of characters who aren't in the weird state and must stop Mallues.
The rescuer team must snap the other out of this weird state while simultaneously making them their allies.
Once all the main characters gathered allies, they then confronted Malleus.
During this confrontation, we see Silver and Sebek being conflicted about fighting Malleus and what not. The story ends with the gang dancing at a party hosted by Malleus and Lilia in a previously abandoned place that they restored.
It's basically the same story, and it angers me how the dev had this under our nose the entire time, years before book 7 even came out.
Moving on to the next event that foreshadows book 7 is Glorious Masquerade. We obviously know about Rollo's final line about Malleus.
But I want to make an argument that Malleus, Rollo, and Idia are similar, as all of them were about to cause a world changing disaster (Malleus's Sleep Domain, Rollo's fire lotus, and Idia resetting the world).
This action was caused by the grief of losing a family member (Rollo and Idia's younger brother, Malleus with Lillia). This event first showcased Malleus being truly mad when he learned the invitation was actually a trap, giving us a preview of book 7.
Regardless, the point I am trying to make is that the devs have used events to test/develop/preview the theme/plot for the main story content, especially unreleased content. Now in terms of book 8, I believe the Halloween event that will give us the best hint is Playful Land and the NBC event (part 1).
Although this is less of a theory and more about notable trends that could applied to book 8, that can be used as evidence for developing theories.
PLAYFUL LAND
Okay, let's get this out of the gate, Fellow and Gidel are meant to parallel the Prefect and Grim.
Both duos are considered two in one, with the Ramshackle duo referred to many times throughout the story, and in Fellow's card, even though it is labeled as his, Gidel appears on the home screen, the card art, in lessons, and during attack.
The pair contains one magicless and one magic user.
The main fighter of the group is the younger/more childlike member who resembles a cat.
The magic member is a lot more talkative compared to their magicless companion.
There is also a guardian/child vibe in both duos, with Fellow being Gidel's older brother and the Prefect the one responsible for grim behavior.
However, there is a third character to this dynamic, Crowley and the boss of Playful Land. Now, I know this is a weird connection to make, and Crowley is probably not as evil as the person who runs a human trafficking operation. But both characters have some financial control over their respective duos. The boss of Playful Land is a super rich, powerful mage who hires Fellow and Gidel to do his dirty work. During the job, the boss keeps checking up on the process while complaining about the duo's lousy work and threatening to cut their pay. In a sense, the boss has a great deal of control over the duo. Also consider that for most of the event story, Fellow was sucking up to this guy.
Now, Crowley is nowhere near as bad as the boss, but he does have a sizeable amount of control over the ramshackle duo's life. The two have no other places to go, and their finances are primarily under Crowley's allowance. He also dumps a lot of odd jobs on the duos. While in most cases he usually sweet talk Grim into doing the task, Crowley has made threats (specifically to the prefect) that if the Ramshackle duo don't do what he asks, he could not financially support them. Some example include
Book 2
book 3
book 5
However, it is important to note that at the end of Playful Land, Fellow said, f#ck it to his boss and proceeded to blow up the park. I wonder if Yuu and Grim will have a similar moment.
Now, for all you Crowley stans who are about to burn me at the stake, I have an alternative version where Fellow is parallel to Crowley, Gidel to the ramshackle duo, and the boss is parallel to some unknown character. This is mainly based on how similar Fellow and Crowley's personalities are, which is pathetic men who I want to throw off the third floor. However, the possibility that Crowley has a boss has been hinted at since the beginning of the game. Crowley mentioned he was assigned as NRC headmage by the chairman.
In addition, his inspiration is a black corvid (raven/crow), which in Sleeping Beauty is the right hand man/bird to Maleficent and is associated with the Evil Queen in Snow White.
Nightmare before Christmas
For this event, there are three main topics that likely have some connection to Book 8.
Alienation: In the NBC event, Skully was clearly the odd man out of the cast. He was the only one who wanted to celebrate Halloween in the modest way. Where the NRC bois wanted to celebrate in a more "loud" way. This resulted in Skully feeling left out and alone during the preparation. Even before the book event started, Skully discussed how nobody at school understood him. But in the case of the event story, this alienation is because Skully was from the past. So, it makes sense why there are some conflicts between him and the NRC bois. We could tie this concept to Prefect, who is not native to Twisted Wonderland and is the only magicless student. The game has already hinted at the prefect feeling powerless/useless during the events of books 6 and 7. Book 8 could possibly expand upon this concept.
Ghost/Death: The twist at the end of the event was that Skully is dead, with his card confirming that he is a ghost roaming Twisted Wonderland. Why is this important? Well, it could possibly foreshadow the Yuu being a ghost/dead theory. Which I won't go into much detail on, as other people made better explanations (ref 1), and I want to make a post regarding this topic (ref 2). The short summary is that this game has a lot of references to death, with the most obvious being literally the coffin the prefect wakes up in.
Meeting their double: Now, this is a very important event, as it is the first time we had a Twst character meet their original Disney counterpart, that being Skully with Jack Skellington. At the start of the event, they hit it off quite well, Skully proclaims Jack as his idol, and through the event we learn they have a lot in common. However, their similarity results in conflict since they are both quite stubborn with their ideas, like Skully with his ideal Halloween and Jack with his desire for a different/new Halloween. Resulting in Skully kidnapping Jack to make sure his Halloween happens. This could possibly be a test run for the main cast meeting their original counterpart. This will be discussed more in a future post.
Conclusion/Forward
And that's what I've gotten so far. There is definitely more things, but this is what I came up during that theory frenzy while cleaning. Which is the second time this has happened. I may add more to this once we get the unknown part 2 of the NBC event that has been hinted at.
Update: While working on this, we got a preview of the new Halloween event character that is inspired by Oogie Boogie.
Also, the prefect was kidnapped/held hostage in both Playful Land and the NBC event, which may be something for book 8 or the dev not waiting to write yuu into the story.
