fleur would also like to know

(shameless promotion of one of my fav danmei's as my name HAHA) - twst thought and analysis dump (archive blog) ;;

[twstfleurism]

— MASTERLIST wip

﹫fleurism | busy irl

！mainly archive blog for my posts on yt (mostly twst character analysis' etc) but also multifandom - x reader or AU writings here n there

part time crashout, writer and twstuber(?) (occasional game dev if you may)

︖ ...idk what else to put here yet haha

[tartppola]

7.5 Spoilers under the cut

So the prerequisite that needs to be met for Ace’s UM is that the more knowledgeable he is on the target’s UM ( timing, effects, power needed to cast, etc ), the higher chance he gets to steal & use it properly!

That’s why he struggled practicing his UM with the first years, since he’s only seen it being cast sparingly.

That’s also why Off With Your Head got stolen successfully within the first try, because Riddle has cast it on him a lot of times 😭😭😭😭

[twisted-x-hearts]

Mostly rambling to the either about the future of Twisted Wonderland after seeing someone talk about how one of the main driving forces of gacha games like TWST is preying on FOMO, (you have a limited time to do this event/get this card or it's gone for ever/years) and like, thinking about how with the anime coming out that they must be expecting an influx of new players to the franchise, people who want to know the story before the seasons air the next book or just want to see these characters etc and now with the 7 main books ending (as of typing, Japan is set to release Book 7.5) how will TWST maintain the gacha game structure this far into the story for new players? Will they do more frequent revivals of events and cards than they had been beforehand? Will they shake up the Memory Book/revisit event mechanic to either cost more gems (thus push players to spend more) or something?

Throwing my predictions into the ring; they might pull and Obey Me! Nightbringer and just make a new game for new players.

Start anew so all the old players and new players get off on the same foot, and if it's set in the Second Year, it allows them to introduce new characters (new freshmen) and acknowledge the 3rd years moving onto their apprenticeships without having to try and write around it in the original game to keep the nebulous timescale of more events. There can be ways to write it so that all 7 3rd years can remain in the game surely so you don't lose a third of the cast and draw of the franchise, especially if you're doing this for people coming here because they watched these characters in the anime.

Idk, just rambling and thoughts about my own prediction, I'm not even 100% sure I full believe this'll happen. What do you guys think?

[twstfleurism]

#debate club AU adeuyuu (2nd person yuu's pov) | complicated relationships undertones (yuu: i guess this is my life now vibes)

It started as a joke.

That’s what you kept telling yourself during your junior year, back when you were still new enough to the club that you hadn’t built up the reflex to swat comments away. Ace and Deuce weren’t even your friends back either - more like the upperclassmen (who were somehow actually first years) who occasionally threw you into prep huddles when gathering days were short on bodies to have a full round. 

And so you were the awkward junior at the edge of the desk while Ace rattled off arguments like he had a bottomless arsenal and Deuce stitched them together with clean signposting. Your job was to keep up, nod at the right times, and not look too lost when they argued over terms versus weighing.

And then someone, in that cramped clubroom with half the fluorescent lights flickering out, had tossed the first spark,  “Damn, Yuu, you’re basically their third by default. Like, the tie-breaker in their marriage.”

It was supposed to be funny because almost everyone knew how much Ace and Deuce squabbled in the school halls but never really parted, and you had laughed back then, nervous but too loud. Ace had leaned back with a cocky grin, and Deuce had flushed and muttered something about “don’t be ridiculous,” but the damage was done.

By the time you all hit second year, the joke had calcified into something weirder. You weren’t just a junior tagging along with “the duo” anymore; you were a partner. You debated together, prepped together, crashed on library floors together at 2 a.m. when slides wouldn’t stop multiplying. That was when Ace, clearly sleep deprived and in mid-prep, offhandedly quipped, “We might as well date at this point. Saves us the trouble of divvying up your time.”

You had rolled your eyes, thrown a marker at him, but Deuce - quiet Deuce - hadn’t denied it. Just shifted in his seat and scribbled faster on the whiteboard, jaw tight. That silence said more than words.

By third year, it wasn’t that funny anymore. 

You were seniors now, and the teasing hadn’t died - it had only matured into something everyone pretended was a long-running bit, “Just the person we were waiting for, “ Ace would announce when you showed up late to practice, and Deuce would scoff mockingly, “Don’t act like you didn’t fight me so you two could go and pair up for that RSA BP competition." Laughter always followed, one that filled the room too quickly, but when it died down, you were left with the faint hum of something else.

The intimacy had become muscle memory. Ace draped his arm along the back of your chair during strategy meetings, as casual as breathing. Deuce slid your notes back across the desk without asking, like he knew exactly where your margins ended. Once, half-asleep on the bus back from a tournament, your head had dropped against Ace’s shoulder, and by the time you blinked awake, Deuce had tugged your scarf over you to keep you warm.

None of you addressed anything the next morning. 

Until that night.

It was late again, the end of a mock round that had spiraled into a messy one was where someone cracked the old joke again, “If they’re all dating the same person, at least coordinate a schedule.”

The room howled. Ace grinned, and Deuce snorted. You laughed too, because what else were you supposed to do? But laughter doesn’t exactly disguise the way your pulse climbed.

Ace leaned in, eyes and grin too cheery. “So, Tuesday and Thursday for me, huh? Deuce can take weekends.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Deuce shot back, though the way his hand organized old paper preps (ones that you all had done together before) against the desk betrayed him. 

And maybe that’s what unsettles you most: how natural it feels. In between drafting government whip speeches and crashing into exhaustion after tournaments, you’ve stumbled into a rhythm that’s both reckless and inevitable. Two boys and you, caught somewhere between strategy sessions and something that looks like devotion.

In a passing thought, you tell yourself it’s delusion

But when Ace leans across the table during prep to steal your pen and smirk, while Deuce kicks his foot under the desk in mock annoyance and slides your notes back toward you, you realize you don’t actually mind being the center of this strange constellation. 

[mutopians]

the real success of any good food manga/manwha is convincing me to cook. the second, more manwha-centric one is making me want to learn how to cook korean food

[twstfleurism]

Ace towards Yuu in that one drabble I wrote (iykyk) *god I love finding intimacy in the mundane

(also to be specific: “Maybe it was when someone tugged your sleeve, voice cracked around your name, and told you to go. And so, Ace did end up going because if it was for his first love - he will.”)

[yuurei20]

From Yana:

"During a meeting the development team asked me, 'Leona’s braids are a traditional style, so is it okay to have them undone?' When I replied 'It’s not a problem. In fact, one of his braids is undone in an illustration in the second novel,' they went, 'It's true!?' It's so subtle that no one noticed. 【Toboso】"

[bunnwich]

Alt outfit what???

[twstfleurism]

ramble about your favorite character in twst, or dynamic between characters

Pretty please

hii anon!! i fear this was a tough question for me because if you know me or have lurked around the channel anyw... i tend to just have multitudes in terms "liking" something, so specific favoritism existing in this house?? NAHH, i love variety

*..so decided to just spin a wheel to see who i'll ramble about lmaoo

Wheel winner: Riddle and Trey

First off, I'd like to say that I have crashed out over these two MULTIPLE TIMES because it turned out in Book 7 that their somewhat toxic dynamic had more layers to it then just the "two childhood friends reunited duo"

For context, in Book 7, their pre canon dynamic was revealed through the lens of Leona, Idia, and Cater; mostly Cater's perspective though since he was a first hand witness to how the two interacted, and met each other again in NRC, and let me tell you, it is so, oh so fascinating to realize how toxic these two were.

Contrary to initial expectations from myself, and maybe a decent majority of the fandom thought, Riddle DID NOT accept Trey back into his life with warmth or with the childhood reunion tone that most people imagined.

He ignored Trey's warm welcome to the dorm despite the fact that Trey was a senior, cold shouldered him even through simple interactions and kept to himself away from Heartslabyul dorm members, and especially Trey.

On the other hand, Trey was so ecstatic to see Riddle again to the point that he was yapping and talking to his Heartslabyul dorm members about how good of a person Riddle is during the 2nd years ceremony

> also note, Riddle fully crashed out during their ceremony because Floyd GRABBED Riddle's hair and obviously that's rude but Riddle had to be physically restrained by Vargas too; might've been not a good first impression to the other Heartslabyul who didn't believe Trey's gassing up of Riddle.

Eventually driven by self motivation, Riddle takes the crown of Heartslabyul 2 weeks in the school year, and the vice dorm leader is removed as well which prompts Riddle call in an election of the dorm to choose their next vice. Yes. He didn't choose Trey as his vice, he didn't even ask or anything, Riddle just acted alone.

The rest of the dorm, probably scared shitless, votes the one person that could "handle" Riddle (and also technically the one that kept hyping up Riddle anyway) which was Trey.

To be honest, I don't recall any other canon info about what happened during the first year of Riddle's rule (there's probably more hidden in voice lines or vignettes that I just don't know..) so let's move on!

Cut to Prologue and Book 1, Trey and Riddle have clearly settled into their duo position more comfortably than ever. Riddle acknowledges Trey, and the dorm is stable now (I had another analysis of how good Riddle administered/changed Heartslabyul if ever)

A lot of things happened which I'm not gonna narrate again because suddenly my brain ran out of fuel actually...

And then the overblotting happens, and finally it forces to Trey to act because it's not a moment where Riddle just got mad at a student and Trey can just ease both people involved later - it's one where it's a literal "fight or die" scenario.

A metaphysical moment that I think really altered my brain on Trey and Riddle was when Riddle shoots to harm people and then Trey raises his pen and vanishes the lethal spell within seconds, and Riddle has a meltdown.

This could go in two route: for a pragmatic argument to this, I theorize that maybe he viewed Trey as inferior to him and so when Trey "wrote" over his magic that was supposed to be stronger, he got upset at the realization that Trey is possibly more powerful than him

OR, if we wanna go down the more emotional route: Maybe it was more like Riddle was devastated. Ever since he's been in NRC, after meeting Trey again, fulfilling the duties of being a dorm leader, and supervising a chaotic dorm, Trey has been with him for more than a year.

Most likely, he's probably comforted Riddle through a lot of vulnerable moments too and not just through moments where he gets angry.

It's the devastation that someone who you trusted, who helped you in your vulnerable times, someone who's been the shield to your sword, your aid, turned his back against you in your most vulnerable moment possibly.

He's supposed to know Riddle's mother is right, doesn't he? He's seen it himself when they were kids. So, why did he go against him, against her? And why can he do it, when Riddle can't? How can he step away, when Riddle has been bound his entire life? Why can he overwrite his magic so easily, when Riddle spent his entire childhood perfecting it? What did he have, that Riddle doesn't?

Maybe Trey eventually became his shield whether Riddle realized it or not at some point or subconsciously. In a dorm where people slowly but surely started to antagonise Riddle; Trey was technically one of the true ones that was locked in to whatever insanity Riddle had.

But, even a shield can't be your true shield if they technically "lie" to you because they want to "protect" you, because is it really protecting if you won't help the sword sharpen itself for future battles?

Even from the very beginning of their NRC arc, Trey has only looked at Riddle with his past version etched into mind; the one who smiled more, the one who beamed when he won a little harder at croquet and the version that Trey gave a strawberry tart to.

This aspect was actually made so obvious in the manga when Riddle overblots and there's blot tears running down his face, and right next to that panel of Overblot Riddle is child Riddle crying.

In the events of Book 2, I find Riddle immediately jumping to action after Trey was hurt so deeply healing because he wants to protect Trey for once; to show him that he does care and he's trying to change, even if it's slow.

Extra Trey and Riddle moments thoughts:

There's a scene in the TWST Anthology where Ace catches up with Riddle who's worrying about keeping up to standard and Ace tells him something along the lines of "Trey advised you to stop doing that, because what matters is that you try anyway."

Book 7 scene where Trey headpats Riddle, and Riddle is genuinely caught off guard by the casual sign of affection - I also see this as Trey finally feeling comfortable around Riddle as well outside of trying to be formal (tbf it was also Malleus disaster confrontation time lol)

Anyway, thanks so much for the ask btw anon!! They have a certain tragedy to them that can't be easily replicated, and adding Chenya to the mix is another thing too (maybe I'll make a Chenya dynamic analysis if someone asks lmaoskdj)

AND I ended up rambling so much oh my god, beware i hate these two from the very molecules of my dissolved tears (⁠个⁠_⁠个⁠)

[twstfleurism]

#OB God AU | in which Yuu is metaphysically more powerful than Malleus and he knows | worldbuilding, drabble

It is their third night.

Malleus knows this not by time, but by the stifling hum of electricity behind the walls, the sound of "wires" not ley lines. Magic does not sing here along with the air like it used to, and the “apartment,” as the mortal calls it, is stifling in its sterility.

Yuu sits at the desk across the room, hunched over an invention that spits out light and half shaped portraits. The floor creaks beneath them, and Malleus’s gaze follows the movement despite him.

He senses life forms through the thin plaster, neighbors, pity they are weak ones because Malleus finds himself regretting the absence of, say someone like the pest called Kingscholar, and the other elders (Lilia) now. There was a time when he could have crushed humans with the flick of a claw, something along the lines of sending thunder to their windows and silence to their hearts.

Now, all he can do is sense. Not do.

His fingers twitch in his lap, he is wearing white as well

Not just white, but soft white: long folds of pale fabric that pool at his feet like sacrificial linens. A cinched waist, sleeves too wide, collar laced with gold thread. It is not his regalia, but it is theirs - the human’s.

Yuu is not afraid because they never have to be and that fact irritates him more than he admits.

“Hey,” they suddenly speak without looking up. “Do you feel cold in that? I thought the fan might be too strong.”

Malleus does not answer at first. The bond, that tether between them, pulls at his chest like a noose gently tightening. Words are expected clearly, they must be given.

“…The cloth is not the issue,” he says at length with finality.

“Oh.” Yuu clicks something, the dastardly thing in front of them whirs as they do. “Is it the fabric?"

“It is not the fabric either,” he mutters. Then, louder, he adds, “We usually do not wear white in my culture.”

“…You mean to tell me I’ve been mischaracterizing you this whole time?”

Malleus closes his eyes and bites his tongue, simply wishing for patience to come to him; it should be easy since he has no other current purpose here other than to, as Yuu had said in jest to their ridiculous machine, "sit still, and look pretty."

His voice comes out then in a low and bitter tone “By making me regale white robes?” Malleus pauses, “Yes.”

Mischaracterizing.

That odious word that the human utters it often - sometimes in frustration or in jest, as if the act of rewriting a soul was a simple misstep.

Malleus opens his mouth, but finds his throat dry. Instead, he thinks, How foolish. And here I thought thou had studied me before shaping me.

Those words are never said, for he has no desire to test the rules of this place, at least not yet.

Yuu turns back to the "screen" with a soft grunt, and rubs their face which slumps in tiredness. “...Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

A mortal apology. Quite useless as Malleus knows it means nothing but he knows it still means something.

The silence between them trickles back in, and Malleus watches them, truly uncertain of what he’s looking for. The place is dimmer now, and he leans back against the futon, a thing too soft for dignity, and rests his eyes.

Just for a moment.

.

He did not sleep because his kind do not require it. He told the human this during the first dawn he'd stayed and even scoffed at the notion.

And yet, when his eyes open again, the light is different and he squints against it at first. Early blue, the color of morning attempting to crawl through smudged glass.

Malleus shifts and find himself stiffening immediately.

His robe has changed, and he raises his hand to examine his sleeve. Gone is the blinding white, and in its place are clothes just darker than before, a comfortable shawl rests on his shoulders and there's no unnecessary trim in sight.

He turns around, and spots Yuu asleep in their chair, limbs folded like a paper doll, sweat slipping down their cheek which the very moment he only notices that the fan was turned off.

He forces an unsettling feeling in his chest to settle, no, he will not ask how they changed the robe when they wake.

Instead, he stands in the center of the room, the new garment draping him like a returned name. “…Mischaracterized, then.” Malleus huffs reluctantly. “Let us see how thou fares with correction.”

A polite feeling pulses at his ribs, and he, a god does not smile at it.

*(clarification because it's very subtext-y LOL: no, Yuu didn't undress him but redesigned his "character design" on their notes while he was asleep)

[twstfleurism]

About Yuuya (TWST novel's protagonist, often characterized as the most anxious one out of all the canon Yuu's)

Yuuya honestly fits the NRC energy more than we give him credit for. Throwing this out with a shaker of salt because this is just my read of things, so HEAR ME OUT..✍️

He’s got this quietly degrading streak, not in an overt “I hate people” way like Idia has, but in how he questions people’s legitimacy when they stand out - e.g. one of the first things he thinks when he meets Crewel is “Wait, you’re a teacher?” because Crewel has "flashy attire." Like bestie, youre unknowingly projecting your standards onto someone else

Also... lowkey, he’s kinda narcissistic? Not in the “I’m the best” way, but in the “I suck and everyone’s probably thinking about how I suck” kind of way

The end result is still self focus but just negative. He’s caught in his own head assuming people are watching or judging him, still self centered, just flipped sideways.

And then I spiraled because there’s such an Ace-Yuuya parallel happening too. Like, Yuuya internally goes, “I wish I was bold like Deuce and Grim who don’t care what people think, they literally make me sick,” and then we literally get Ace in Book 7 thinking the exact same thing

i.e Ace envying Deuce and Ortho’s bravery and capacity to use harder magic while he freezes up in front of Blot Riddle again.

If the novel version of Book 7 ends up hinting at Yuuya finally getting a brick thrown that Ace is just like him, someone scared but trying anyway, YOU GUYS ARE SEEING ME COMBUST.

BECAUSE Book 1 already shows Yuuya looking up to Ace despite Ace roasting him in the prologue (iirc the excerpt went like):

“Were they really the same age as each other? Ace’s articulation and explanations with the inserted jokes interested Yuuya too, and any question that came his way, either from Yuuya or Grim was answered with good will. Yuuya found himself warming up to Ace, and perhaps feeling eyes on him, Ace turns to look at Yuuya and smiles. He was so cheerful.”

HELPPPP just saying, this parallel writes itself I fear

[croshelee]

I feel like both Ace and Yuuya see each other as a sun.

Question is, are they the moon or the Earth?

The moon is revolves around the Earth, not the sun. But the moon reflects the Sun's light, kind of like looking up at the Sun and trying to sort of copy 'em?

The Earth revolves around the Sun, and (I lost what I was going to say, I left for a minute to do something.)

...

Wait how does this relate to this post?

[twstfleurism]

oh...thanks for giving me thoughts on how Yuuya and Ace's dynamic can be interpreted HAHA - Yuuya definitely sees Ace as a sort of "sun" but whether that's a mutual pov on Ace's end is up to debate honestly.. (this is me wishing AND praying that we'll get Ace POV in the novel plsplease)

About the second part: I actually saw a moon -> earth -> sun throuple dynamic (imagine Till -> Mizi -> Sua reflection) so maybe it could be Adeuyuuya..? But instead of one person focusing on another, it's all three of them mutually focusing on each other because that's canon trust

*Unless you mean strictly Ace & Yuuya being both Sun + Moon/Earth someway ;;

also don't worry Shelee lol - it is related to the novel and i devour any content about it (+ kinda got sidetracked in the og post anyway..)

[twstfleurism]

ANALYSIS: Still Infallible, Until Tangible (Leona's character song)

I genuinely freaked out at the prospect of Leona's song being out today so I decided to be self indulgent & speedrun writing an analysis for my own sanity LOL

Thank you to @/winterspellsfrozenkit for the translation!! 

src of translated lyrics: tumblr.com/winterspellsfrozenkit/789382835579535360/fan-translation-still-infallible-until-tangible

Definitions to set before anything else:

Infallible - incapable of doing any wrong 

Tangible - capable of being perceived through the sense of touch

Opening lines: “Beyond the closing door / I can hear a cheerful song”

Leona is on the outside, literally and metaphorically. There's warmth somewhere, joy somewhere, but it’s distant from him, like it's behind a closed door. A kind of unreachable normalcy that he can only hear through walls—and I think this sets up an emotional contrast in the rest of the song; that his world is silent, but others' worlds sing to him.

“A swaying voice so far away / Even though the shadows have scattered / I circle across the night”

Even when his inner fears or the “shadows” fade, he’s still restless anyway. He doesn’t find peace in having clarity, or in knowing the answers so instead he loops through it. I interpret this as a sign of insomnia, not literal insomnia but insomnia of the soul

“The yearning for more never tiring / Even my pride is a shield”

THIS LINE. I feel like this is one of the few times we get Leona admitting what the pride really is - a defense mechanism. During his overblot, he lashes out about being "just a spare," and "never having the throne" but there’s something quieter there.

You don’t get to hear this vulnerability in canon unless you read between the lines (or in another case, read the novelization of TWST - which btw still has Leona being in denial about what he truly fears) So seeing it acknowledged like this? It’s SO satisfying character wise.

“The light’s disappearing, / The world’s unchanging / Still the color is infallible”

This feels like futility. No matter how much the light fades or the world stays frozen and indifferent, he can’t unsee the beauty or ideal he once reached for.

“The color” (possibly metaphorical for purpose, inspiration, or desire) doesn’t fail, because it's him that fails or falls instead. It's like painful admiration from a distance, something too pure for him to touch.

“No matter how many times this hand / Is extended, even if I try / This hand has always / Held emptiness”

Leona using his hand as a metaphor throughout the song is honestly so raw?? Like it hits on two levels

1) his unique magic literally involves his hand (turning things to sand), and 2) that same magic has canonically made people fear him before (like the servants flinching away from him). So the idea that his own hand is both power and isolation… yeah.

That attempt to grasp meaning, validation, connection, it never lands. It's a raw confession that “I have tried, but I always come up empty.” Because imagine reaching for something again and again, only for it to slip through.

“If that’s so, then turn it all to sand”

A lot of the “I hold out my hand” moments feel like him saying: I have tried. I reached out. And I was turned away. So now what’s the point? All that’s left in his palm is sand, and that image just hurts, it’s his unique magic obviously, but it also becomes his metaphor for emptiness, for being left with nothing even when he wanted something. And because it’s part of him (biologically? magically?), he can never really get rid of it.

So he’s saying: If I can’t have it, then let it be destroyed. Maybe not out of malice but because he's resigned to it. If it’s unattainable, then maybe it’s better if it never existed in the first place. It's fatalistic, because he’s using his power not to change the world, but to erase his yearning for it.

“Even the teasing illusions / Are far too dazzling and bothersome”

Even hope, fantasies, hurt. They’re “dazzling” in how they tempt, but “bothersome” in how they mock him with their impossibility. It’s easier to scorn than to suffer their brightness.

“Even if only as lies if they can remain / That’s that then / It’s fine / I’ll just sneer”

This part reads like… yeah, he knows joy exists. He knows connection is there. But it’s too much. Too bright, too easy to fall for and painful to believe in.

So instead of chasing it at all, he pulls back by laughing at it or sneering, which isn't done out of cruelty or some malice filled bone that Leona has, it's more like self-preservation.

“Grasp onto the light, / My gaze has warped / To that color that’s infallible”

Even in reaching for something pure, he knows his perception has been distorted. He no longer sees things the way he used to.

But the ideal still shines untouched. It never was the problem, it was always him. His own despair, his own weariness shaped him but that color “infallible” is still there.

“No matter who I end up blaming, / With all my reasons laid out / Every time I turn my back / I held this hand”

He’s tried to rationalize it by blaming others, his brother, the throne because he wants to make sense of why nothing works.

This part especially kills me because it’s like, yeah, maybe he’s angry, maybe he’s bitter and blames the world. But in the end, the “hand” is still his.

And whatever he touches, it slips away. That’s his burden and the song isn't even about accountability, it’s about resignation. He knows what’s going to happen, and he carries that anyway.

He hears joy, he sees where happiness could be, and he wants it but Leona still won’t go toward it. That tension between desire and retreat is so heavy in the song.

"Everything, turn it all to sand"

Every time he walks away, he walks away with that same hand, that's still empty and reaching. It’s like he’s haunted by his own failure to connect or succeed; so he uses the one power he does have: destruction. To erase the proof of that emptiness in the first place.

Final thoughts

Anyway, Leona's solo song really reads like someone who was once idealistic, who wanted to matter, but now flinches at hope because it only reminds him of what he’s never had. Someone who has tried, deeply, repeatedly, and only found more emptiness. So he turns inward and self destructive. He doesn’t destroy out of hate at all, but out of exhaustion.

I think even the “the light,” “the color,” and “the cheerful song” are left untouched. He lets them exist, but walks away from them, convinced they’ll never be for him. The act of turning things to sand isn’t just violence, it's control over things he feels and wants.

If he can’t have it, at least he can make it go away.

(i didnt proofread this as much..so excuse the possible grammar mistakes, anyway, oh how i hate you leona kingscholar, they could never make me form a proper opinion on you my glorious king..)

[twstfleurism]

#ace trappola finds out a new emotion /j/j timeline: Riddle's dream Book 7 | bittersweet fluff, drabble

“You never forget your first love.”

Ace blinked at the phrase on his screen, tilted his head too, and then a scoff came out before he could stop it. Yeah, right. His thumb swiped right before he could think about it either. It wasn’t that it was "wrong" exactly.

Just that people said it like they were quoting something sacred. Like it was supposed to stab you somewhere soft and nostalgic, your heart supposed to do a dumb little backflip.

That never happened to him as far as he knew.

He remembered her; his ex. The one with long hair, and a beam on her face. Usually talked with that kind of cheeriness that made you feel like the sun was always two inches from your face. She was nice too, and probably still is.

But “first love” nostalgia? That was a dramatic stretch. She wasn’t the kind of memory that came back when he smelled perfume or some tragic song came on.

No, for him, nostalgia smelled like dirt and wet grass and that weird cheap cologne his brother used to wear while practicing card tricks in the garage. It sounded like plastic decks snapping into formation. It felt like bruises on his shoulder from when Deuce tackled him into a hedge because “I told you not to press that lever, Ace!”

“Ace!” Speak of the Great Seven.

Deuce’s voice dragged him back to reality, and there he was--hair far from perfect, messy as hell, and the blot - was it even real in this dream? - smudged across his face like war paint. His hands trembled like it was bracing for another nightmare that Ace didn’t flinch this time.

Funny, he remembered flinching last time. The first time it happened, when Riddle snapped and the whole garden shattered with his vision red, Ace remembered thinking, 'I don’t wanna die in this dumb dorm.' Fear then had tasted like sugar melting too fast, sweet and sharp and sickening.

But now? Now he stood straighter, right now he had Deuce next to him, already clenched up like he was gonna throw himself headfirst into another wall.

And behind him– A tug at his sleeve, and he found himself turning around too quickly. Yuu was crouched down, their knees dug into the dirt stained like the roots were trying to grow into them.

Their expression was a mess too - half smile, half grimace - like they were pretending not to feel the pain in their ribs. “Go get him, Ace.” And his chest didn’t flutter with butterflies at that but he nodded without thinking like it actually did - and took a step forward.

“You never forget your first love,” the screen had said, and maybe it was true. But it wasn’t the girl from middle school who made him double check his jokes in his mind before saying them. Wasn’t the girl who made him want to hit restart on a conversation just to hear their voice say his name again.

Nah, not at all. It was dumber probably.

Somewhere in detentions and way too many overblots and dumb food fights. In shared glances when someone said something way too emotional to digest and they both looked away at the same time.

But maybe… maybe your first love wasn’t the first time you kissed someone or held their hand in that way.

Maybe it was the first time you stood in front of something terrifying and realized someone was still behind you.

Maybe it was when someone tugged your sleeve, voice cracked around your name, and told you to go.

And so, he did end up going because if it was for his first love - he will.

[twstfleurism]

About Yuuya (TWST novel's protagonist, often characterized as the most anxious one out of all the canon Yuu's)

Yuuya honestly fits the NRC energy more than we give him credit for. Throwing this out with a shaker of salt because this is just my read of things, so HEAR ME OUT..✍️

He’s got this quietly degrading streak, not in an overt “I hate people” way like Idia has, but in how he questions people’s legitimacy when they stand out - e.g. one of the first things he thinks when he meets Crewel is “Wait, you’re a teacher?” because Crewel has "flashy attire." Like bestie, youre unknowingly projecting your standards onto someone else

Also... lowkey, he’s kinda narcissistic? Not in the “I’m the best” way, but in the “I suck and everyone’s probably thinking about how I suck” kind of way

The end result is still self focus but just negative. He’s caught in his own head assuming people are watching or judging him, still self centered, just flipped sideways.

And then I spiraled because there’s such an Ace-Yuuya parallel happening too. Like, Yuuya internally goes, “I wish I was bold like Deuce and Grim who don’t care what people think, they literally make me sick,” and then we literally get Ace in Book 7 thinking the exact same thing

i.e Ace envying Deuce and Ortho’s bravery and capacity to use harder magic while he freezes up in front of Blot Riddle again.

If the novel version of Book 7 ends up hinting at Yuuya finally getting a brick thrown that Ace is just like him, someone scared but trying anyway, YOU GUYS ARE SEEING ME COMBUST.

BECAUSE Book 1 already shows Yuuya looking up to Ace despite Ace roasting him in the prologue (iirc the excerpt went like):

“Were they really the same age as each other? Ace’s articulation and explanations with the inserted jokes interested Yuuya too, and any question that came his way, either from Yuuya or Grim was answered with good will. Yuuya found himself warming up to Ace, and perhaps feeling eyes on him, Ace turns to look at Yuuya and smiles. He was so cheerful.”

HELPPPP just saying, this parallel writes itself I fear

[twstfleurism]

In which I find out that Rook and Leona has parallels (kind of)

First off, somebody stop me from deep diving into twst characters because the more i end up diving deeper into a character the more they slowly turn into a new favorite LIKE STOP I HAVE A TOP 5 STOP *this is unfortunately a positive sign about how well written and nuanced twst characters are.

Subject of my dilemma is Rook Hunt since I was rewatching the climax scenes of Book 5 AND HE'S SUCH A GOOD FRIEND HELLO?

The more people I surround myself with, irl and online, the more i would want a friend like Rook. Sure, he “betrayed” Vil by voting for RSA, but did he really betray him when giving a lesson that the first person that must love Vil is himself?

No amount of validation and praise would ever fill Vil up because he doesn’t love himself first, self perception tends to get ahold of you first before anything else and that’s what Rook wanted to convey and he’s just so idk emotionally mature for that?

If that’s the right term for it – emotional maturity isn’t just saying, “oh yeah i know i did wrong” or “i did this, i didnt mean to” aka the intention doesn’t lessen impact thing, emotional maturity is sitting with those ugly feelings and actually carding yourself through it and Rook understands that.

He pushes people in the right way (Vil) even if it means hurting them for a moment because he knows that in the long run it’s better for them. 

It’s like tough love and that type of affection from him reminds me of Leona...actually he is like Leona but nicer, more flowery with words

And the way that even if he's a "stalker" he really still catches on the hints and "sees" people for what they do and for who they are and it just tears a scream outta me like my cognitively empathetic king who manages to phrase words beautifully to the point that sometimes you can't even be too offended about it /silly & unfiltered thoughts i fear

[twstfleurism]

About Ace's dream in Book 7 (this was like written when it was updated and I was crashing out abt it)

Yeah, I get that the dreams might just be what Malleus wants for them, and I know the characters’ dreams probably aren’t what they actually want for their future (like with Jack's dream, for example).

But I can't get over how Ace's dream is all about CELEBRATING the fact that Yuu can travel between their world and Twisted Wonderland. Like, that’s literally the main theme of his dream. I can't, I just can't—stop, stop, stoppppppp

He’s so upset when Yuu tries to explain that, “It’s all a dream,” because he can’t fathom Yuu going, “Oh, a way back to my home? Nah, it’s fake."

Because he's been there with them from the start and knows how much they're suffering to find a way home.

ALSO TREY IN THE DREAM TELLING ACE THAT, "you looked lonely when the way home was found but it's alright because Yuu can travel back and forth" "YOU CAN'T TELL ME THATS JUST ACE'S SUBCONSCIOUS SPEAKING THROUGH BLOT TREY!" I scream as they drag me back to the asylum.

Still would've loved more personal Ace lore, like Ace's brother reveal, but damn...can't believe this is canon now.

[twstfleurism]

I think one of the most tragic character tropes is the "heir" archetype in school or university settings. It’s really easy to romanticize, the wealth, the stability, but there’s something to it that stings.

They walk through classrooms, listening to lectures on fields they’ll never touch, they’re exposed to new ideas, discovering sparks of passion in the smallest, most unexpected things, yet are forced to only watch that light flicker out because there’s no room for it where they’re going.

It feels worse when they tuck away that knowledge in the back of their mind, telling themselves not to get too attached, not to dream too vividly, because there’s already a job waiting for them back home.

While classmates scramble to perfect their resumes, panic over the unknown paths ahead, and carefully pick internships that align with their dreams, you stand in the background never really participating the way your classmates do.

Because you don’t get to choose, you just never did. No internships to pick from, no wondering if you should follow passion or practicality. The choice was made long before something in you even understood what it meant, and all roads lead back to that one, singular expectation.

"What’s the point in trying when I’ll always end up at the same conclusion?" Oh Idia 💔 in another life, you got to choose

(dreadfully inspired to write this after someone told me, "Idia's club card looks the happiest I've ever seen him" AHHHHHKASHDFADS GET OUT OF MY HEAD)