Originally solely Yuu's body! At first, they didn't get along all that well (mostly on Grim's part) but 5 years changes a relationship! Or was it 6? ...7? It's not easy to tell time in a permanently white cell.
Grim was a fire-cat monster who developed sentience! He was his own experiment, spoiled by the scientist who raised and taught him.
This successful project eventually led to the thought "could a monster with magic be fused with a magicless human to forcibly give them magic?
Scientists grab an orphan from the streets and surgically remove some of Yuu's inner bits to replace them with Grim's.
Experiment was a success!...Maybe too much of a success.
Grim and Yuu freely switch who controls the body, but Grim lets Yuu control it more often than not. He only comes out when Yuu is scared and/or the body is in danger of being hurt.
Grim is very protective of Yuu and their shared body! Yuu refers to him as its "big brother" a lot!
Yuu can use some of Grim's flames, but Grim's the one who has the best grasp of their magic (because it was his first...duh).
They fall into Twisted Wonderland after trying to escape from their cell
Of course, Grim and Yuu sharing a body drastically changes the Prologue! For starters, there's no cat on the outside that breaks them out, so Grim takes over the body to use magic to break them out.
Let's Yuu walk them around while keeping an eye on the back! New place, new dangers--he's not letting his human and body get hurt!
I want to say they bump into Floyd! The merboy left the ceremony because it was boring, and look~ he's found a lost shrimp!
Yuu gets scared and can't talk right, so Grim takes over to harshly question Floyd where they are and who he was.
Floyd laughs and thinks the little shrimp is interesting! They're kinda like him with the weird personality switch!
(Floyd is. definitely exhibiting mental illness btw imo. I mean "personality switch" as in that's what HE refers it as. Floyd should go get a diagnosis for...smth!)
Anyway Crowley finds the three of them, and Yuu fumbles to take over the body because Crowley is radiating authority figure vibes whereas Floyd was just "danger!" vibes that made Grim come out.
Grim and Yuu...Yuu especially has bad times with authority figures! Grim just gets kinda sad-mad arnd them...smad! Remember, he was spoiled before fusing with Yuu.
This is the only way Yuu can protect Grim! Yuu dealt with most of the authority abuse back then.
Grim feels bad…but whoever’s in control of the body has their feelings amplified, and he doesn’t want to subject Yuu to his bone-deep hurt at his trust being broken
I digress! Floyd is quick to notice Shrimpy’s personality switch again when Crowley starts going off, so he decides to help them by making Crowley shut up! Maybe they’ll follow him and make a deal with Azul too~
They part ways once they get to the hall. Floyd quickly slinks off back to Jade and Azul to inform them of Shrimpy and Yuu quietly soothes and keeps Grim from taking over for it.
Dark Mirror tells them their souls (plural!) aren’t suited for any dorm, like canon.
Except now there’s no cat monster to wreak havoc!
Yuu and Grim aren’t sure if they’re happy being stuck in Twisted Wonderland, but they’re not going to complain!
*go onto my profile for the first post abt this AU!*
TL;DR: Yuu & Grim are two souls in one body! Yuu's body, to be exact. They have magic, can switch who is in control of the body, and have loads of trauma! bc they are a science experiment :) Now they're in Twisted Wonderland!
This headcanons post is mostly about Yuu-Grim's relationships with the Heartslabyul guys! Another post w the Savanaclaw guys at a later date.
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Riddle Rosehearts
Initially thinks Yuu-Grim are very well-behaved. At least when Yuu is in...in "control of the body"??
He doesn't understand, but he's not going to question what he thinks is someone being mad. He'll just make sure they don't break any rules.
Even so, he does treat them as just one person instead of two at the beginning. Not that it doesn't phase them too much
Except when RIddle's scolding Yuu even though Grim is the one who did it, so Grim gets mad and takes control when he feels Yuu clam up and feels scared
Remember my first post: whoever's in control of the body has their feelings more pronounced/felt !!
Post-Overblot (and getting a vague understanding of Yuu-Grim's traumatic past), Riddle is only more than happy to treat Yuu and Grim like the separate beings they are! It's the least he can do after they helped him through his Overblot.
The first person to suggest that they wear something to indicate who's currently in control!
Doesn't understand how calm the two are around Floyd (well, Grim less so, but only when Floyd's hugs start to hurt)
Ace Trappola
He's a real asshole in the beginning. Mocks Yuu-Grim for being "freaky" and "weird"
Post-Dwarfs Mine, he'll lay off the insults, but doesn't treat Yuu or Grim as separate people.
Yuu doesn't mind but Grim doesn't like it when Ace teases them
It's obvious when Grim's in control because Ace will find "Yuu" talking back to his quips
After confronting Trey in the library and learning you've been in a similar situation to Riddle's (and quickly deducing that's the reason behind Yuu and Grim insisting they're different people), Ace is quick to change his tune
Of course, he'll play it off when it's pointed out by Grim, but he just doesn't want to be too mean! Making fun of people is fun, but if it's trauma-related that so obviously affected someone?? Yea, no, there's no fun in that
The most protective of Yuu-Grim !!! He's gonna be the one to loudly correct others who don't correctly acknowledge whoever of Yuu-Grim is in control.
Deuce Spade
At first, he thinks it's just a moniker/persona like what a couple delinquents from his past used to have
He also thought "Grim" was Yuu's last name. Which the two found very funny and cute
He's always polite! He's the first person to treat them as different people, but only when it's obvious that Grim is in control
After the Trey-in-library scene though, he gets better! He tries his best to remember they're two different people in one body!
Like Ace, he's also protective of Yuu-Grim! Not huge on reminding others, but will threaten ppl who try to make fun of the two.
I don't have many other thoughts, Deuce is just a Good Boy TM. doing his best to be kind!!!
The one who reminds Yuu and Grim to check their bracelet and make sure it's displaying the right symbol
Cater Diamond
Thinks Yuu-Grim are a little eccentric but it's okay! He can work with it
Like Deuce, he tries his best to refer to them as separate people, but he does slip up
After hearing a little from Trey his speculations on Yuu-Grim's past and Riddle's Overblot, Cater does go out of his way to include both of them in conversation so it's more one-to-two than one-on-one talk!
Is the one to get the two something to wear that'll show them who's in control! It's a grey bracelet that's more of a wristwatch with its whole surface being an indestructible touchscreen. All it can really do is display one of 2 symbols though: a rabbit silhouette for Yuu, and a cat silhouette for Grim!
He got it from Idia, who was pestered into making it www
It was simple enough to make so it's okay ^^
Loves taking photos with Yuu-Grim! Pics w Yuu are guaranteed to be cute and pics w Grim are always fun bc Grim will either frown or smirk at the camera depending on his mood
Trey Clover
Like Cater, he thinks Yuu-Grim are eccentric but won't comment on it
Thinks Yuu is cute! Not entirely fond of Grim when he's angry, but it's usually a very childish tantrum so he's cute in a different way
After the library confrontation and Riddle's Overblot, Trey goes out of his way to make Yuu-Grim tons of sweets! He makes them fish-shaped to appease Grim
(Trey's happy when Yuu says it and Grim like it a lot and that it's "almost as good as tuna")
Suggests to Riddle that they should hold more Unbirthday Parties and smaller tea parties and invite Yuu-Grim. He doesn't mind the baking, really
Trey likes seeing Riddle and Yuu-Grim eat his sweets bc they're all happiest like that!
Babies Yuu-Grim. Just a little. A pinch of fussing never hurt anyone
(Yuu-Grim definitely don't mind)
Group
Cater and Deuce are the ones who try to use both of Yuu's pronouns!
Ace mostly sticks to they/them for Yuu but uses it/its in private when it's just their group
Trey and Riddle stick 100% to they/them. Very rarely they'll use it/its for Yuu just because they're not used to thinking it/its being pronouns for people
Since Grim just uses he/him, it's easy to remember his pronouns, but he's not in charge often, so the boys often slip up and refer to Grim with they/them
Not that Grim minds, lol
^^
Please feel free to send asks about this AU !!! Or anything else !!! I'd love to chat :D
lol hi! what are the reactions of some of the twist guys of your choice to yuu-grim's backstory?, like them being experiments etc.
I just picked ADeuce...and went a little insane with this ask LOL. thanks for sending in an ask!!!
CW: Non-graphic descriptions of abuse and surgery, mentioned human and animal experimentation, ment. violence
"Wait wait wait," Ace abruptly sits up to stare down at Yuu with wide eyes. "You and Grim are what?"
Yuu shifts in their position in the grass, continuing to lay down while staring up at the clear sky. It's blue, a paler blue than Grim's flames. It's calming, and Yuu breathes. "We're a science experiment. Doctors wanted to test a theory, and well," Yuu gestures to their body, "it worked."
Ace's face looks funny, Grim says to Yuu in their headspace. It's a lighthearted comment, but Grim is watching the boys as Yuu focuses on the blue sky.
Deuce joins Ace in sitting up, his eyebrows furrowing in the classic way Yuu and Grim affectionately recognize as Deuce. "Can we...May we know what theory it was?"
Yuu stays silent.
"They were wonderin' whether a magicless human cou' gain magic from a monster with it," Grim says, raising a hand above his and Yuu's body to summon a ball of blue fire. "It wasn't a pretty process." The hand in the air clenches tight into a fist. "Me and Yuu first met when Yuu was jus' a kid. We don't know the 'xact times."
"That's awful," Deuce gasps. His hands are gripping the grass blades tight, almost ripping them out of the ground. Ace is staying silent, and Yuu gently pulls Grim back into their headspace to relax.
"It was a pretty hellish time with the doctors," Yuu agrees softly. It's not as if they were still afraid of them--those people couldn't be any further away from Grim and Yuu--but Yuu is...tired. It's tiring thinking about who the two used to be: curled up in the corner of their shared cell, maybe taking a nap; thrown around and beaten with magic in mock battles; tied down to a cold metal table to be cut into, studied and poked by people who didn't care about how they felt. "They did so many things to us."
"Show us," Ace says then. He crawls closer to Yuu and Grim, who sit their body up in surprise. "Show us what they did to you."
"Ace!" Deuce cuts in between the two bodies with his own, forcing Ace back. "That's not-!"
"I refuse to believe something that messed up happened!" Ace shouts. His hands curl up in his lap, and he glares hotly at Deuce. "Doesn't it sound crazy? I mean, here in Twisted Wonderland, experimentation on living beings is just- It hasn't been done in centuries! It doesn't happen in any of the Great Seven's lives except the Thorn Queen and Lord of the Underworld's because they're old." Ace turns to Yuu and Grim, stares them both down into their mixed eyes. "You two have to be lying."
Yuu and Grim are quiet. They know Ace, and Ace is now knowing them and refusing to believe it. Because it's so messed up. Because it's so crazy he thinks they're lying. Because he wants to believe that situation didn't actually happen to them.
Yuu smiles, and it thinks its and Grim's bittersweet feelings went across well because Ace's face crumples before smoothing itself over. Deuce stares at them with pity.
"It's all true. We're sorry, Ace."
"No, you shouldn't apologize." Ace pushes past Deuce to sit cross-legged next to Yuu, completing their group's small triangle. "It's just...you're so nice. Grim's debatable, but still. It's so unfair." Grim grumbles inside the headspace, and Yuu giggles even as it reaches over to flick Ace on the head.
"Ace is right. It's just unbelievable that something like that would happen to someone like you. You really are..." Deuce trails off and his cheeks flush pink. He was probably going to say something embarrassingly sweet, something Ace picks up on fast, and a teasing match ensues. Yuu laughs, and its happy feelings are met with Grim's own happiness in the headspace.
The topic is dropped for now, because Yuu and Grim are happy and Ace and Deuce want nothing more than to see their friend keep smiling, but one day, Yuu and Grim will sit these two down, and Sevens willing, show them how much the two souls care about them and their overwhelming friendship.
Can we get the other dorms Relationship with Yuu!Grim please?
Yea! I was planning to make a post for Sclaw and Octa, so you’ll have to wait for those lol, BUT I can do the last 4!!! srry this took me a bit !!!
Note: I am currently an EN-only, so my knowledge of the following characters is very limited and derived mostly from others’ interpretations of them. And they're very short bc, again, I know nothing abt them!
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Scarabia
Kalim thinks Yuu and Grim are cool! He treats Yuu and Grim as separate people, but in the way parents will ask a child if their imaginary friend wants a cookie, too. When he finds out they really are separate people, well! He does rectify his behavior. Kalim's just very nice and bubbly so Yuu and Grim like him lots! He headpats both of them, no matter who's in control. Grim likes headpats the most.
Jamil doesn't care. He thinks "Grim" is just an annoying persona/act Yuu does. Of course when he finds out they are two souls in one body, he'll try to act kinder, but he's still heavily exasperated and annoyed when it's Grim in control of the body. He doesn't know it, but that change in personality/approach to them depending who's in charge makes Yuu and Grim feel good! Well, as good as being called annoying can be, in Grim's case wwww
Pomefiore
Vil thinks Yuu-Grim's two different eyes is strange (appearance lore drop!!). He thinks it poses an interesting challenge to coordinate an outfit around the different eyes. On Yuu and Grim's changes in control, he finds it annoying, but since it's mostly Yuu in control, Vil couldn't care less. Vil invites Yuu-Grim to his dorm a couple times to dress them up. Surprisingly, he prefers it when Grim is in control over Yuu bc Yuu fidgets too much. These makeover sessions don't dwindle after Vil is told of them being two separate people; Vil starts to take each of their preferences to mind when Yuu or Grim is talking about clothes.
Rook thinks Yuu-Grim are fascinating! They appeal to his hunter habits. It's like a 2-in-1 type of deal. He originally calls them both "Trickster" because he thinks it's just Yuu, but after learning the different souls thing, he sticks to calling just Yuu "Trickster" and Grim is "Frère de la Trickster" (Trickster's brother [brother of the Trickster if tl'd seriously], but my French is rusty and I can't rmbr if "de la" is supposed to have an accent in it somewhere).
Epel thinks Yuu-Grim are cool but weird. Mostly because of how willing they are to comply with Vil's dressing-up wishes. He admires how fast the personality change is when faced with danger, but that's just Grim taking charge. When he learns that fact, he thinks Yuu-Grim are even cooler! And strong. You have to be strong to be able to host 2 souls in one body, right?
Ignihyde
Idia thinks Yuu-Grim are like an evil/dark side trope in characters who seem meek. He's surprised he's right when he finds out. Still tries to keep his distance far from them (and everyone else), but especially so if he thinks it's Grim in control of the body. However, he does want to know why Yuu-Grim are the way they are...Also gives them multiple bracelets that evolve as he gifts them thru Ortho. Color change, updated mechanics, updated design; you name it, Idia's done it! Its main purpose of displaying who is in control is still there.
Ortho thinks they're interesting! When it's Yuu in control, their breathing is shallow and their aura reads "Caution!" all over; when it's Grim in control, his breathing is stronger and he takes deeper breaths and he walks with his shoulders squared. When he finds out it's because of different souls in the same body, he's fascinated! Ortho likes spending his free time just talking to the pair trying to learn more about them, for his and Idia's curiosity!
Diasomnia
Malleus was very surprised when he first sees this odd Child of Man. Actually, he thought Yuu-Grim were fae-adjacent due to their mismatched eyes, but no. Not quite. He can sense they’re not entirely human, but he chalks it up to their magic being something he's unfamiliar with. After finding out they’re different souls, Malleus is like “Ah that explains why you’re not 100% human.” He does his best to accommodate calling his Child (Children?) of Man (Monster? Man-ster?) by their names. The bracelet helps.
Lilia doesn't think too much about Yuu-Grim. He's civil, they're civil, so it's all good! He of course accommodates and keeps an eye on the bracelet to properly address whoever it is he's talking to! He likes to tease the two, especially if Grim's in control. Yuu has taken to pushing up front to control the body if Lilia's coming and Grim's walking the body.
[Silver and Sebek are the characters I know possibly the least about. I don't actively search out content for them due to wanting to avoid spoilers and fandom tends to one-note them as "sleepy" and "loud everyone-but-fae hater". That being said, I think both would learn to treat Yuu and Grim as separate people!]
hey, i just wanted to say i love ur ideas!!! esp for yuu-grim! u mentioned floyd having similarities to them and i wanted to hear ur thought process behind it. why/how do u think floyd exhibits similar behaviors as they do? hope to hear ur thoughts !!!
!!! oh my god thank u,,,anon i'm placing my heart in your hands for this ask
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Yuu-Grim & Floyd
Mainly it's due to the "personality switches" the two bodies have! Floyd has intense mood swings, and would see kin in Yuu-Grim's control switches!
It's canon Floyd receives a lot of flack for his mood swings? Such as his Labwear SR where Crewel gets on his case about not filling in a test and getting a zero, where previously he got full marks. I think Floyd would connect well with someone who could sympathize with "mood swings" like he does!
As stated in Yuu-Grim's introduction-like post, Grim usually takes control whenever Yuu is scared and in danger! Since their personalities are so different, that can be seen as a "mood swing." It's not as self-destructive(?. I can't think of a better adj,,,) as Floyd's mood swings, but it's something they have in common that piques Floyd's interest! Especially seeing how most people in Twisted Wonderland have very solid, unshakable personalities that don't swing around too much due to their emotions like Floyd (exceptions are like, Deuce and the Overblots (wow that's a killer band name)).
Also, a smaller thought, as alluded to in a previous ask that was about the various dorms' relationships with Yuu-Grim, our single-bodied duo have mismatched eyes! I imagine Floyd (and Jade for that matter) haven't seen a whole lot of other folks with heterochromia, and one as intense as Yuu-Grim's?! Well, Floyd's naturally curious!
Really though, at the heart of it, it's just me putting my little OC/mixed-canon baby into a good friendship with one of my favorite characters! Spoiler alert (lol) but should I start rolling the multi-chap ball, Floyd and Yuu-Grim will start to cultivate a sibling-like relationship !!! bc I think it'll be cute :)c
omg the nicknames are so cute?? op i love that!! it makes me wonder if yuu-grim would give a nickname back! since floyd’s so often giving nicknames it would be interesting if they pay the sentiment back/lh in all seriousness though, love the idea of reconciliation and floyd improving from his early behavior bc. That betrayal’s got to hurt </33 would not help their trust issues from their past trauma in the slightest </33 hopefully they receive comfort from other friends/support elsewhere as well! speaking of which—do u think grim-yuu’s friend group would be the same as it is in canon or they’d be different ppl involved? love to hear ur thoughts !!!
!!! I HAVEN'T CONSIDERED THAT BUT YES !!! Yuu-Grim most definitely call Floyd by a nickname. Grim just calls him by "Floyd" but sometimes he slips up...Yuu is def the one who most uses the nickname! Don't have any ideas for one right now...maybe when I get to writing the Octa relationships post !!!
Yuu sometimes slips up and calls Floyd "brother" on accident heehee...Grim's got (lots of) competition for Yuu's holy "best big brother" title!!! wwwww
Oh the betrayal...Yuu-Grim's trust issues are so *gestures wildly* !! But also most of their trust is messy with authoritative figures, and since Floyd's just a student like them, the two are probably more open to forgiving him! Yuu especially, anyway. Grim got betrayed by someone he deemed safe...bit different from simple authority :)c
And yes they do have other friends!! I am so grossly biased towards Ace and Deuce for...obvious reasons LOL. I think they'd also be really good friends with Jack! And Yuu-Grim are kinda into Leona as a childish crush/cat-monster admiration thing! He's very blunt and shows his annoyance with them very clearly, and they appreciate how mean he is while still being like...respectful of them. Just telling them to go away instead of manhandling them unnecessarily like Certain Authority Figures. That's all I can comment for now till I read the fan tls !!!
Speaking of their past, secret lore drop! Yuu-Grim hate the color white. It's like a trauma trigger. They can't be in majorly white rooms or around people if they're wearing their lab coats! Yuu-Grim try to power through alchemy classes, but some days it's too much. No worries though! Ace and Deuce vandalize decorate their lab coats with colorful patches and stickers to break up the white!
*sniffs* i love your yuu-grim au sm <3 i can just imagine their interactions with leona are gonna be hella entertaining. like yuu's in charge n leona's tryna intimidate them into taking a nap with him or sumn and then suddenly boom. a fireball to the face. bc grim didn't like the way he was talking to his partner-in-crime. and leona's like "wh- what the fuck ??" bc the herbivore's accent changed n everything as they talked ?? who tf is the great grim ??
!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH,,,
Oh yea, Leona's definitely shocked by Yuu-Grim if/when something like that happens. He's taunting them like "ah, you're the weird-smelling herbivore from the entrance ceremony, the one the mirr'r said was strange." and he's just Towering over Yuu-Grim. Yuu's scared! so it's up to big brother Grim to roast this guy like chicken! Leona's definitely wondering what the Fuck Yuu-Grim is/are.
After Leona's Overblot though, Leone does chill out with his more violent threats against Yuu-Grim, instead threatening to avoid them or leave them if they're being too loud. They're quiet enough when it's not Grim in control, and if it is Grim, well, all cats like to nap! Napping buddies...and Yuu-Grim are both fostering their own weird, puppy-like "love" for Leona wwwww. Grim admires Leona's strength and Yuu thinks Leona is also strong and Really Cool. They both like that Leona is still mean-ish to them, unlike Riddle who changed his tune fast to them post-Overblot (which is okay! but they were...Very Used to Riddle being authoritative).
I think Leona gets assimilated into Yuu-Grim's "brother bunch" w Floyd at some point! Not sure. Leona would be the one Yuu-Grim relax next to and vaguely vent to. He won't look like he's listening, but Leona's carefully taking in their words as Yuu and Grim freely switch in control to both get out their thoughts.
same anon as before!! let me just say ur ideas are awesome and i adore hearing them so much!! i could honestly listen to u for ages! especially the idea of a sibling like relationship with floyd and yuu-grim bc that’s super cute :33 esp since initially they don’t have any support in twst verse to having a lot more (specifically like them(tm)) so it must be reassuring to have someone like floyd on their side :33
i am placing you oh-so-gently into a little jar full of sand and a bottle cap of water and setting you on the windowsill ueueue,,THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LIKING MY RAMBLES !!!
And YES that's really it! I'm imagining they go through a small angst arc due to the Book 3 events where Yuu-Grim feel like someone they thought they (mostly Yuu) could trust just. plays them like that. Grim is so mad at Floyd for the longest time after that. Floyd would be pretty confused, because while he's intelligent, I don't think he's emotionally intelligent. At least not with himself. He's good at reading others! but he's bad at sorting himself out. (yknow, like the rest of octatrio LOL)
But the trio reconcile...Grim is still peeved at Floyd but Floyd does try to be nicer to the two! At least he's no longer trying to kick them out of Ramshackle or get them into a deal w Azul.
Side note but since Grim doesn't have his own cat body (which...looks like a seal? hence his "Baby Seal" nickname from Floyd), I think in this AU, Floyd would call Grim "Snapping Turtle" instead! Yuu is still Shrimpy <3
