May 29
🪙
^^
You got Dorm Uniform Alphonse (SSR)!
Prompt
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🪙
^^
You got Dorm Uniform Alphonse (SSR)!
Prompt
So since both @the-trinket-witch and @twstinginthewind shared their OCs's birthdays, I figured I might do the same. If nothing else, having a reference would be helpful.
Vex: Feb 29
Ryder: Apr 12
Sefu: Apr 5
René: Mar 21
Xiáng: Aug 4
Emil: June 21
Wes and Mac: Sept 10
Oisín: Nov 1
Kingsley: Jan 14
Alphonse: Oct 13
Rémi: Sept 21
Eveline: May 8
Pop Music Club
1, 11, and 15 of the ask prompts, for any OCs that are feeling chatty!
Hell yeah! Thank you for this!
1. Do you have a song that represents your OC, if so why?
Let's go with Vex! Perhaps it feels a little obvious, but the first song on their playlist is "White Rabbit" covered by Emiliana Torrini! It's a classic Alice in Wonderland song, and there is something about the lyrics that just fits in with the way she thinks and acts.
Also idk if I've ever shared but "Serenity" by Godsmack feels like Emil's descent into Overblot.
11. Is there a character your OC sees as a sibling?
Oisín sees Ortho as a sibling. Also your Ren is in sibling territory.
And Emil sees Rook as a sibling. Your Copper is ABSOLUTELY surrogate younger brother.
Wes and Mac see your Marshall as their brother.
15. What is a secret not many characters know about your OC?
Oisín is headless.
Kingsley is a former(?) crowned prince.
Alphonse has a locket that was left in Ramshackle long before he became a student. He has mixed feelings about the Ramshackle ghosts messing around with it.
Wes and Mac are bird beastmen. Mac is also somehow aware of some of the chaos Ortho has caused on campus and has a destructo beam of sorts.
René thinks Azul lacks class and skill and honestly, if he was actually a master of his craft, he'd be far more successful. He really sucks at lying and it shows.
Prompt
TWST OC Lines after being poked too many times by Yuu:
René: My... eager to get my attention, are we~? Might I suggest using my name in the future? At least then, the payback won't be so steep~.
Emil: Hey--- Please stop messing up my hair! I spend so much time keeping it from poofing out! You're gonna mess it up!
Kingsley: ...Either you stop, or you lose that hand. Make your decision. Now.
Oisín: [UwU Wanna know what happens to hands that poke without permission~?]
Xiáng: What? I was paying attention. For real, I was. You don't have to pinch my shoulder. We're good! Promise!
Sefu: Your hands aren't worthy enough to touch me. Stand down, or else!
Alphonse: ...Yes, I saw you there. I was choosing to ignore you.
Wesson: ...What? Tryin' to swat a bug off me or somethin'?
Mac: *giggling* H-How'd you know I was ticklish!?
Vex: Such an odd and intriguing human custom... do you all poke people to try to get their attention? That's quite fascinating honestly. I couldn't imagine standing there in full height whilst poking someone in the shoulder until they acknowledged my presence. I couldn't imagine that being met with anything short of hostility. What...? You expect me to be bothered by it? Hardly, though I would kindly ask in the future you simply use my name. I think you'll find that methology to be far more fruitful.
🖊 About either Alphonse or Xiang OvO
OOOOOH Okay! Thank you for this.
I'm gonna go with both!
Alphonse: So I have been revisiting his source material and I have had big Ghost Marriage thoughts. I also have been having thoughts about his role in the series.
Where Ghost Marriage is concerned, I have shared in private that he very much believes that Idia could not possibly be the love of her life and she should do better. He also... doesnt know if he can touch the ring. And!!!! I keep thinking about his suit!!! I keep thinking about his boutineer. I keep thinking about the white! I keep thinking about the lilies! The embroidery and silver trim!!! I keep thinking about his LOCKET. I wanna draw his design and make him a card so so bad.
I think Alphonse has mixed feelings about being in Ramshackle and especially about being forced to room with Yuu. I think its... complicated. And he low key hates it.
Xiáng: His book 7 dream is a life where he is accepted as an apprentice at a temple back in his home. He doesnt go to NRC. He enjoys his life as a temple hand, and he...isnt cursed. He lives amonst the ancestors, and takes care of their burial grounds. He plays his erhu and rids the space of resentment.
He's never met Cusi. He's never met ADeuce. He's never met Riddle. He's never met Kalim. He's never met Che'nya. He's never met Cater. He's never met Lilia. He's never met Alphonse.
Prompt
Is there anything specific that you really love about your ocs?
Thank you so so much for asking this? First, I'm honored and incredibly appreciative of you for asking. And second, you really got me thinking about what I *do* love about them and why I continue to explore them even after 11 months of being in this fandom space.
So this is going to seem like a generic, generalized response, but it is something that applies to all of them.
I really love how each of my OCs, at least in my perspective, very very clearly can be traced back to their source materials while simultaneously being their own characters.
Starting with Oisín, Oisín from the get go was always meant to align both with "The Headless Horseman" and also dullahan mythology (specifically Irish and Scottish folklore). And yet, because of the way they evolved and the way I developed them in alignment with the narrative of "Twisted Wonderland", they became their own being. --- idk if folks even knew this. I never set out to have them shipped with Lilia. It entirely developed naturally and on its own. And it has turned into arguably my favorite ship out of all of them. The Headless Horseman??? Married to a Vampire???? Incredible. Amazing. 10/10
Then you have Kingsley and like... he is so at his core the Horned King, and every which way you look at his narrative, even his character development? It aligns itself in the way that the narrative of the "Chronicles of Prydain" unfolds. Even when he has his seige on the castle, it feels on par with the actions of the Horned King or any of the other antagonists from the series. His temperment and his personality? 100% - and yet his choices are his own. His narrative is his own. He gets the Cauldron. He gets to KEEP the Cauldron. Its HIS. Not Tarran's!!!!!
René, Rémi, and Eve are so painfully the main trio of "Swan Lake" (the ballet). And yet René's entire narrative and personality is contingent on a question that the ballet NEVER answers or even considers: "Who is Odile without Rothbardt?" And so the Odile we get in NRC, René, is my interpretation of who Odile would be when alone. How she would act if functioning on her own and without the evil magician. So sure, René is Odile. But René also is René. And only René.
Emil holds an incredibly special place in my heart where this theme is concerned. I don't think many people are aware of the anti-semitism in "Tangled". So when I thought of the idea of a Dame Gothel expy, I went in with the idea of creating a Gothel who just was Jewish coded but not a charicature. I incorporated elements from the original Rapunzel tale, the adaptation of "Into the Woods", "Tangled", and added flavor in the form of jewish beliefs and jewish customs. It's resulted into a character who is very very clearly Gothel in his narrative and in his personality and in his relationships, but he isnt restricted by the narrative or characterization as depicted by Disney. He has grown beyond that just like the beanstalk that ended up in his bestie's backyard. Also-- his Overblot? Chef's kiss.
Xiáng is ESPECIALLY fun here. Because when I originally created him, I didn't have a Disney character in mind. He showed up an amalgamation of different ideas and themes from stories I've read recently that I really enjoyed. And then @inmateofthemind popped into my DMs and asked me if Xiáng was twisted from Crikee from "Mulan". And I sat there. And i looked at all the drawn comparisons. And i couldn't deny.... the parallels were to strong not to lean into it. And the more I leaned into it? The more and more he showed himself to BE Crikee. And yet he so ISNT!!!!!! It's honestly so fun.
Sefu is also really fun, because they came from a rewatch of Lion King 2: Simba's Pride with @ramshacklerumble . And I honestly just gave myself permission to take the idea of Zira and REALLY LEAN into the yandere, creepy territorial fan aspect of her character. It also gave me the opportunity to explore how I personally think Zira's dynamic with Scar looked like, based on the implications set out by the film. We never get to see it in the media, which means that Sefu does have the opportunity to expand beyond the scope of Disney, and I do get to determine how much Leona actually can't stand them lol.
Alphonse too is such a fun one. Because his source material depicts the Wellies as incredibly static and yet emotionally driven characters, I get the opportunity to explore the question "What would allow the Wellies (from "Giselle" the ballet) to actually move on and rest in the after life?" It's also a fun opportunity to explore the very blurred lines between fae and ghosts in older Anglo/Irish folklore, as the Wellies were supposed to be inspired by the Otherfolk.
If you're still reading this- thank you so much for sticking around?? Genuinely, I appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed the read. If you want more specific details about any of the things mentioned, please don't hesitate to ask!
BEEB!
Holiday ask reciprocation!
What kind of traditions or little fun things tend to go on around your cast of OCs? You have such a wide arrangement of backgrounds, I'd legit love to hear about what you think TWST's different regions do to celebrate winter OvO
HELLO BEEB!!!
Aaaaaaaa thank you so much!! I really appreciate you asking!!
Oisín
So I have a personal headcanon that Briar Valley is more likely to celebrate Yule and the Winter Solstace rather than like... Christmas. While it may be difficult for the average person to see the differences due to real life synchrotism, I like to imagine Briar Valley celebrates a Yule without the influences of colonialism. So we might still see the fir trees and the lights in lanterns on the walkways. Feasts and stories by the fireplace are a must.
I imagine the way it translates in NRC too is that Oisín probably spends time with their Diasomnia family, being deliberate about doing Yuletide activities with them. As for the Ignihyde family, they probably offer for their clutch to join them in activities, with the understanding that no one is pressured to do anything.
Emil
So this is a fun one that I will have to offer a bit of explanation too. When designing Emil as a character, I was very deliberate in removing the anti-semitism from Gothel's depictions, in favor of actually leaning into the Jewishness of her character. When trying to figure out how much of Tangled I actually wanted to incorporate, I had the realization. Tangled has a holiday where they light lanterns... in hopes of bringing their lost princess home. Twisted Wonderland interprets the Disney animated films as mythos and folklore for their world, yeah? So I imagine the story of Rapunzel includes a holiday, where the people light lanterns in celebration of the lights that brought their Lost Princess back home and led her to freedom. The celebrations likely include dancing, singing, crafts and games, just like the festival in the film.
You know what that kind of not exactly sounds like? The Maccabees and the festivities of Chanukah. So I decided to lean into that and synchrotize certain elements, harmless nods of Chanukah into the Festival of Lights. Places that neatly overlap without any disrespect to the holiday that I personally celebrate, I opted to combine ideas. So... Emil and his hometown celebrate the Festival of Lights.
He's actually never heard of Yuletide or Christmas prior to coming to NRC. He tries to learn and be respectful of the traditions of his classmates and loved ones. And I do have a ficlet WIP that I hope to finish where Emil invites the unofficial cooking club to make latkes with him, to light a lantern, and to participate with him when he can't be at home.
René
The Black Swan is used to big holiday parties and social gatherings back home. So I like to imagine that René and the Octavinelle squad probably decorate the Lounge and put on a little celebration of their own.
René also gives gifts to the people they care about. At first, it's likely a superficial thing done for appearances. But as they grow and start actually developing and fostering relationships, they start to actually put effort into it. And sometimes those gifts arent even gifts, its quality time. Its acts of service.
Kingsley
This man is a Grinch LOL. Much like Briar Valley, the Cantrevs celebrate Yuletide and the Winter Solstace. It probably looks different for his home considering traditions tend to vary from region to region. And I tried to do research into Cymru, which is where the Chronicles of Prydain pulls its mythos and inspiration from. Again, keep in mind we have to do some imagining that its not been impacted by colonialism.
But when he's at NRC? He doesn't... get the festivities. If he has to under obligation, he'll participate. But he'll be pissed about it the entire time.
Xiáng
The Lunar New Year is definitely something I headcanon is celebrated in the Land of the Red Dragons. And I would say that all the food, clothing, games, dances, decorations... he actively participates in the festivities as much as he's permitted to.
I also had this fun idea that Xiáng goes to Kalim and asks if they can do a New Year's celebration. And Kalim sort of responds "I don't know anything about your Lunar New Year, but I LOVE a good party!!! Let's do it!!!" And Jamil walks into Scarabia SHOCKED that all the preparations were done behind his back, without his help, and the dorm isnt on fire.
Alphonse
Alphonse is also from Briar Valley. He likely celebrates Yule in a similar fashion to Oisín, but he is more likely to keep it to his close friends and loved ones. He is very intentional in giving Malleus, Xiáng, and Yuu gifts. And since he also spends a lot of his time between both Diasomnia and Ramshackle, he probably offers to help decorate Ramshackle too.... by doing it... without asking lol.
Sefu
So I'll be completely transparent. I know Christmas and Yule aren't really celebrated in many African countries. I know that the Sunset Savannah likely pulls some of its incluence from Kenyan culture, because of the influence on the Lion King. I ALSO know that Cloudcalling has caused people to debate if additional tribal influence can be found in their traditional garb. That said, I will own up in my ignorance that when I had the opportunity to hang out with my Kenyan colleagues, they didn't speak much on December holidays? Moreso focusing on the traditional holidays celebrated in April, May, and August. So outside of Western influence, I don't know if there are traditions that would be celebrated there. I also don't want to be that American who makes false approximations in their fiction and does a massive disrespect to the people who live there. That said, it IS something I want to learn more about, and not from a poluted Western lens.
As far as NRC goes, Sefu... doesn't really care about the school festivities? They kind of keep to themself and roll their eyes at the jolly gayness of it all.
Thanks again for the ask!!! It really means a lot!!