#zvzd yap

[zvezdacito]

THIS IS SO REAL

The other housewardens/students are also not really trying to understand Malleus because to them there's nothing to understand. They don't know how different the fae are to humans, and most don't even fully know their history at the hands of humans, so to everyone Malleus is just trying to be above it all and difficult for no reason. But Malleus has already done a lot to try and adapt to humans and the day and only has a few complaints about what he cant wrap his head around

A lot of people take his apology to Lilia at the end of his dorm vignette "I wasn't trying hard enough to get along" as confirmation that twst is saying Malleus ACTUALLY is not truly trying and most/everything is his fault.

But if you noticed Malleus has a habit of saying "I'LL do better" instead has a of blaming others when put in an unfair situation. As with all twst characters with biased perceptions/who don't say what they mean. You can't just take what they say as face value to what the story is actually saying

↑ People also tend to do this with Ace after his bluntness and non-coddling saved heartslabyul and stopped riddle in Book 1... ppl took it working in /that/ specific instance to mean that this is the ONLY way to stop every overblotter and the OBers just gotta man up against years of conditioning Imao. The story also shows that Ace's bluntness is not fully noble and sometimes even makes the situation worse or makes a fool out of Ace (the Heartslabyul novel really fleshes out the nuance of this trait/how overblots are confronted)

On the topic of coddling... This also reminds me of this one user who would say Lilia is coddling Malleus and that's why he turned out so difficult? It's kinda funny because this is the POV the housewardens in-universe would have of their dynamic, but it's not actually the truth.

When Lilia gives Malleus acknowledgment and approval, it looks like coddling exactly because the overblotters don't know how naturally different Malleus as a fae (who has to not feel because of his power) is, and thus how much he's already adjusted from his natural way of doing things to live with them. He laughs off and doesn't really mind a lot of Malleus' antics because to he KNOWS this isolated fae doesn't really mean anything by it, so he's responding with the necessary consideration to MAKE Malleus learn and understand. He gives him the time, unlike the palace staff who just keep conceding and backing off from him because they see him as the power/authority before the child, and unlike the other housewardens who as mentioned just see him as a nuisance/threat who's like that just because he's arrogant or something

We also know that Lilia DOES reprimand Malleus and demand he change when he does something wrong, whether he's not listening to his tutors at the castle or the literal events of the dorm vignette, so doesn't just give endless excuses for Malleus just because he knows it's hard for him.

Twst is all about learning to coexist with other people's circumstances, ways of thinking and contradicting desires, without thinkin difference must mean they are the bad guy and you are the good guy. And sometimes that's hard because misunderstandings easily happen and we rarely have the full story about something or someone. It's just this theme in different fonts with each overblot so it's kinda ironic in a meta way that fans of other OBers/characters don't realize this for Malleus, the character who is the "final boss"/pinnacle of this central theme. But yeah he is my fave for these reasons, his position is nuanced and complex and says a lot about the overall story and fun to see all the layers of.

I feel a lot of the time we don’t consider the fae perspective. We mostly consider the human’s. Which, yes, of course because we are human.

But in a story like twst, where so many characters are relatable human or not, I think it’s a bit unfair to not consider their perspective.

The main one I’m thinking of right now is how we tend to criticize Malleus and his not being able to keep track of time.

We’ve been told that he has trouble keeping track of time, and in general, many of the fae do. To them, time moves different (not to mention how it can differ depending on species), but for Malleus it’s much more than that.

Malleus has been locked up in the castle for years. He got visits from Lilia and he looked foward to that. Beyond that? It was the same every single day. He was alone. Think about it. For us, we would get tired and bored of that. Time would move slowly. We would want to escape. But Malleus couldn’t. He was trapped there, making the most of it when he hid and when Lilia visits. To him, those moments of fun didn’t last long at all and the moments of melancholy lasted forever.

On a side note, we’ve seen how long it took Lilia to adapt to humans too, about 200+ years. (He’s still adapting now. He’s somewhat better at it now because of Silver and Sebek. Who are more day creatures and he had to adapt to that as well. Even though it’s still tough on him). So how can we expect the same from Malleus, when it took even Lilia this long to do it?

When Malleus grew older and he was able to escape, time moved quickly for him. He was able to spend time with Lilia and others. He had fun and freedom. To him, time sped up. Silver and Sebek age quickly. Malleus had trouble with how fast it was. Even in his dorm card he mentions how quickly they’ve grown.

But then, you also have to consider, Malleus is a fae, he’s abided by fae time for over a century and it was only recently (at least 17 years), that he tried to adapt to human time. From seeing a babe grow to now at NRC, where school is taught through human time. How can we expect him to suddenly adapt so quickly?

I wouldn’t be surprised that besides some of the fae, other beastman or merman might have more of a nocturnal clock too.

We expect him to adapt to humans but when has any of them helped him to adapt? When we ask things of others, don’t we usually try and meet half way?? Isn’t it selfish to always one-sidedly ask him to change?? And not help him achieve the change we are asking for?

It’s one thing for the rest of dia group to help him, and they try. But it’s another, when the humans don’t even try when Malleus is trying to get along with them and make a connection with them for peace between everyone. Even more so, he wants to get along and have friends too.

And then?? They get angry? At him?? For not adhering to their ways, but did they help him? Did you remind him? Or even send the invite at all? Or were you too scared and it’s easier to blame?

He’s known to arrive in advance hours before a meeting so he doesn’t miss it because he does care and he does want to attend. But where are the people to meet him half way? To remind him or even give him the proper or updated info?

It’s a two way street. We can’t always judge malleus because of his “bad” traits, when in reality, it’s a fae thing can we?

You can argue that it’s not others jobs to do that. And yeah you’re right, but then we have seen dorm leaders go out of their way to help others haven’t we? Riddle going after Idia is one example.

And if there is to be peace, then both humans and fae have to work together to understand the other.

I think it’s unfair to always expect Malleus to change without understanding his background and his childhood and how that changes his perception of time.

[zvezdacito]

I think it's really cool how these two cards are kind of bookends to the tsumsitter series ↓

^ Heartslabyul all raising wands together. While for Diasomnia only Malleus takes the lead as the three just watch over him with some distance.

All members of HSB are equally shined on by the sun, while the lighting on Mal makes him alone shine while separating him from the others who literally do become his followers of the night.

Very fitting for their respective group dynamics and extremely cool artistic symbolism, and one of the reasons why I see these two as the best in the housewarden tsumsitter lineup🔥🔥🔥 this really was our twisted wonderland as they say or something

[zvezdacito]

Where Malleus' Character may be headed in Book 8: His place among the housewardens and road to true leadership?

Disclaimer(?): Not the most well-structured text since this was mostly written when I was half-asleep + it's kind of hard to tell what plot Book 8 will have from where Book 7 left off. But I think this was still worth putting out here because I would like to see this idea/something like it happening. ⚠️‼️Also this will obviously contain Book 7 finale spoilers

Since great power and adjacent attributes defined Malleus for so long, even if he's happy it won't stop him from being able to outwardly express emotion anymore, his Book 8 arc will likely be adjusting (he's already somewhat started here by asking assistance to cast spells now) and figuring out who he is as a person. Specifically, Malleus will figure out how to be a leader in ways not relying on these previous advantages (faulty ruling since it just him taking control for everyone)

Malleus has so far been outcasted from the other housewardens + we haven't seen much of him doing housewarden duties in the overall game yet so good time to show it now. So I feel like Book 8 will see his dynamic in the group somehow going from clueless nuisance to the leader of the seven, in time for the Book 7 battle.

Basically a callback to the impression that the twst website art gives off (shown above). Perhaps his center positioning has a deeper meaning than just being the poster boy/final overblotter (excluding what is likely overblot Grim)

Malleus's Dorm Uniform vignette built-up to Book 7 (the social exclusion, uncontrollable strength and magic, Lilia being the only one giving him chances, the 1000-year-understanding thing) and the other housewardens perceiving him as the worst at that responsibility/not like them is the only one not yet explored and "resolved" by the finale. Book 7 ended with most of them still having their doubts about letting Malleus back in, so I think that's perfect set-up for Malleus to be included in them as specifically a leader figure in Book 8. Leona makes a point about how Malleus needs to take initiative in housewarden meetings this time, so what better way than for earning his place as a leader in the group (and not just one who imposes his will on others, but listens and learns)

I think it would be a really compelling character development since it's a great leap from where he's currently at. Maybe he'll go about it by becoming the most transparent one in communication/not being afraid to show the many ways he does lack (since the others usually want to prove their strength instead) and how needs their help supplementing those weaknesses, and encouraging them to criticize him as much as necessary. It would be kinda funny to see them take advantage of his willingness to redeem himself at any cost by being overly nitpicky as like a power trip, but over time I think this would also help them understand where he is coming from too and being more genuinely kind (in the NRC way). Basically him taking the initiative to be open would form a trust that's good for team cohesion, building off what Vil and Idia already started in Book 6 and 7.

Vil became like the leader of the group while they battled at S.T.Y.X, while Idia became like the leader of the NRC dream-hopping group against OB!Malleus. So continuing this pattern, Malleus will gradually earn his fellow housewardens' respect and become their leader against like OB!Grim or whoever. Maybe he'll even rally the public at one point (idk what for since we have no clue what Book 8 lore is yet) and this will connect not only to his own growth but Book 7's ideals of making faefolk and mankind more connected

(Fan translation by Valkyrii on youtube)

Leadership traits I think Malleus has so far:

Takes accountability when he realizes his mistake, is impartial when dealing with disputes

Can be pretty forgiving (like with Rollo)

Gives his greatest effort as the host, as seen with Spectral Soiree and this final ball

Going back to how Book 7 ended, we see him regard all different sorts of people invited to Silver's debutante ball individually but equally. This closes Book 7's theme about different people being able to coexist and truly love each other, but he delivered the greeting as if they were all his people in a way. I think this may be setting up to true leader/king related character development in Book 8, honing these qualities further now that he can't default to power without thinking.

Earning the respect to become such a king instead of it simply being "blessed" to him without guidance or help already comes with him learning to process his feelings rather than just avoiding them and gives him opportunities to actually socialize so he gets better at considering the circumstances of others before he takes action. So when/if something will likely happen to give his magic back to him earlier than 200 years, that's already resolved the problems of him not being able to control his magic power when emotional + he's become the type of person/king who doesn't rely on it or is defined by it at the expense of his personhood anymore.

^ I don't think they will remove his powers for the rest of his main story time because they're still a part of him, since for a story about how differences can't stop you from belonging, it feels kinda wrong that his story will actually conclude with making him even physically more similar to the rest to get along. If you think about it, it's not really the powers themselves that were inherently isolating him, but rather that adults only saw him for authority rather than as a child, so never expected that he needed extra help mastering them first.

His horn breaking is basically just the starting point for him to learn this, a chance to pause he never got before. But I think it will be kinda dumb to nerf him for the rest of his screentime without letting his growth explore this through some inner-child healing first.

That's all... I'm not sure how much of the school year is left for all this since the third years were already talking about their internships. But since Crowley says Lilia and Malleus will be returning to the school the vibe would kinda feel redundant if they came back just to leave for internships again. And I just really think there's lots of potential on exploring that one last part of his dorm vignette + one of the earliest TWST arts actually foreshadowing their final dynamic as a group after all the character development. Kinda funny since Malleus still has both horns there, but I did mention I think something will accelerate its regrowth near the climax of Book 8, so yeah🔥

Also if I had to guess what OB!Grim's (and maybe Yuu too) dilemma is, maybe it's purpose? Like he wants to become all-powerful not genuinely but because he thinks it will make him have a reason to be alive and have people stick by him under the pretense of being like his minions. And Yuu has growing dialogue options (among the few they're allowed to have💀) about feeling useless. So I think Malleus slots in nicely there as someone with his own relationship to utility faced with newfound powerlessness (and him showing Grim there is more to being a truly great mage than the power maybe, and come to terms with what he's really afraid of)

[zvezdacito]

I really liked the diasomnia finale as a whole but ngl I'm kinda disappointed that other aspects of it kinda felt rushed or just brushed aside. It can't just be me that thought there was a missed opportunity not to have a Malleus-Idia conversation or even Malleus-Yuu saying one word of direct acknowledgement to e/o at the end for closure, since the former have shared struggles with loss, and the latter interacted a fair amount during the (previous books and) start/had a relevant conversation that helped push Malleus into his overblot.

I know the previous OBers-current OBers in an arc don't always need to talk and just need to have parallels, but idk it would've been nice for Malleus and Idia specifically. And I guess you could read into the choice to make Yuu + Grim the other person besides Lilia that gets trapped by Malleus's thorns as he turns into a dragon as subtextually about that, since it wasn't really necessary for it to be like that. But it doesn't really hit as hard as just logically saying hi or something at the party. These aren't the only things that haven't gotten closure so far (like the Gloomurai-Musclered reveal) and the Book kinda just ended abruptly at the party, so I guess they're intentionally leaving some stuff for Book 8. It makes sense to center the ending of the Book completely on Diasomnia after they kinda got shafted during the dream-hopping portion, but I think they still could've found a way to have squeezed a talk with idia and yuu somewhere there

Yeah that's all I can't wait for Book 8😔 I'm glad I finally saw Malleus lose his marbles and cry out a lifetime worth of tears but please answer my ten million questions🙏

[zvezdacito]

Since we're only one day away from Diasomnia Part 13, I'm gonna re-articulate my story concerns with the new Silver card so my point is more clear:

I don't really think the imagery of the Knight of Dawn/Silver Owls is something that can be reclaimed/redeemed. Not even if it's to save Malleus, rather than kill him like Meleanor. The implications of morally saving him from himself through that image is a whole other can of worms (AKA the white savior vibes). And that's lowkey what I originally meant anyway by "heroically beat". Saving him from his OB is still beating him in the narrative...

I'm hoping that its either:

just named that due to Silver's dawn motifs in general and not because he'll actually have to wear something Silver Owls related😔 Original armour design would be cool

OR if he gets put in the armour because it represents the non-diasomnia characters' (and even audience) expectations of him as the good (Silver Owl motifs* popularly recognized as that due to the historical revisionism) defeating what is unquestionably evil in their eyes (Malleus and lowkey the Briar Valley). Only for him to subvert it by denouncing the role, maybe wrecking the armour after wearing it a bit, then stopping Malleus without it. Because he wants them to know that both he and Malleus as persons will be more than the boxes of good human vs evil dragon

Also I think when they make Silver denounce it because he wants them to be seen as more than the past, they have to be careful to not make it come off as "yeah the fae should just never acknowledge the long term con consequences on their land/lives because it's all in the past". Because that wouldn't be why Silver want himself and Malleus to be more than that. It's more to be more than stereotypes and prevent future conflict (he in the human side also has to make effort to compromise their comfort not just the colonized fae)

* Since in real life norms, knightly motifs are associated with good while dragons/darkness are associated with evil, subverting which side uses which in a colonization storyline (then having the colonized dragon motif people be seen as the evil ones due to propaganda) can be metacommentary on how the idea of Good vs Evil in fairytales and popular imagination is dependent on the Status Quo. With even the fandom perceiving the knightly motifs as savior in the narrative despite them being symbols of colonization in-universe due to their established association with heroism IRL

TWST is about how there's more to the stories of fairytale-like characters than binary Good and Evil, so I think Silver only having the card for fanservice but actually denouncing the armour in the story itself makes the most sense to TWST's themes.... IDK what level of faith I should have in the writers, but they are potentially cooking if they commit to this

Also I know people people are gonna bring up how this is about Silver forgiving his birth parents because he realizes they did love him and just tried to do what's best for him. I do think it makes sense for him to have a better opinion of them as individuals, but once again I don't think the place for that should be in the final battle against the face of the people they genocided💀 That still boils down to redeeming and reclaiming the Dawn Knight's role as the "hero" with moral high ground over the dragon. I don't think it's the Dawn Knight's place to have his vision succeed here. As I said it was a long time coming because it's the most obvious way to parallel to original Sleeping Beauty, but doesn't mean I won't side-eye a certain handling of it because they chose to contextualize the twst version with a colonization storyline of all things

And do NOT reply with explanations like "Oh but the Dawn Knight was getting manipulated yadda yadda💔" because ironically every point used to defend him are the exact reasons I think he's hateable /lh

I think he's a more interesting character when seen as intentional depiction individuals on an oppressing/priveleged class being sympathetic, but not being willing to do enough against their own benefits in the system/challenge the system as a whole, thinking isolated acts of charity are enough to offset the extent of the violence they participate in. And even that sympathy can feel patronizing to the colonized's capacity to progress without their involvement/centers the feelings of the colonizer side.

Dawn Knight being good-intentioned as a parent and him being irredeemable and spineless as a colonizer are not mutually exclusive. It would be interesting to have Silver try to reconcile that without the story suddenly making him think the former point compensates for the latter (that wouldn't really be his place either)

Also tbh I think people overestimate Henrik's manipulation. Like yeah he was saying "ur not good for anything than fighting/you owe us" but it was only harsh words rather than actual blackmail yet the Dawn Knight kinda just folded instantly so that's on him😭 And again this doesn't really change how he distastefully makes so much of the horrors of war about himself and his own feelings. All his sad monologue scenes have the same vibe as US veterans making their massacres about just wanting to pay for bills or how it gave them PTSD lmao💀

That's all... we will find out tomorrow... if they are cooking gourmet or poison

[zvezdacito]

Tbh I think a lot of people downplay the stakes Malleus is in that makes him overblot as just surface level loneliness by itself and that's why they think his overblot is unwarranted/annoying compared to the other six. It makes sense he jumps to such drastic measures to avoid facing whatever comes next because whatever it is will last not just a few years but literally a millennium + either way because of multiple systemic reasons he knows he's not just gonna be able to connect with a bunch of new people/explore a bunch of new experiences to make up for it.

Compared to other overblotters, it seems no matter what course of action Malleus will end up in a bad ending since he's a species seemingly among the few left of his kind while also being biologically predisposed to outliving everyone. It's as if he can never have a happy ending as long as he's himself, or that as a king (and symbolic "lord of all villains") his happiness will only come at the cost of others'.

I feel like a lot of people also give him the entire blame of his failures to connect properly with his peers. When even before they knew about his impulsivity or lack of cognitive empathy people were already jumping to conclusions about him. (Said mindsets came about from internalizing the depersonalization he was raised with, he's the sole heir of a country battered by colonization who place very high expectations on him to be a symbol of hope for them again after all)

Assuming the worse because of his powers, the reputation that came from it, and because of (the once again systemic issue) humans and people outside the Briar Valley barely knowing anything about/only having stereotypical rumors to go off the nocturnal fae who closed themselves off to try and stop humans from invading them more💀

So yeah givevn all of this Malleus was a ticking time bomb and even then he was about to just stand down and put his own feelings aside until he became accidentally convinced there was a way that didn't have to exclude him. It's an unfortunate clash of circumstances between different people and that's what TWST is all about. So yeah idk just kinda baffling some people are unironically out there saying things like "Malleus should've just held himself together for one night that's so selfish" when it's kinda made extremely clear by the story there's way more leading to the characters' making choices than that

From an outside point of view as the audience of course there are obvious steps Malleus could take to make the most out of what he has and to not inadvertently be a prick to others, but it pretty obvious why in his shoes it's not really feasible rn lol. Other than these things I could think of at the top of my head, a lot of the things people single him out as especially selfish or unreasonable for are things the other overblotters and characters in general also do lol.

> Like the class dynamics at play? NRC is literally rich boy central many characters express some kind of class privelege

> Not receiving consequences for his actions? This is a staple twst writing flaw for all its stories in general, most overblotters have gotten a slap on the wrist/their actions relatively covered up by the end. And Fellow legit just walks away from an undisclosed time of human trafficking like it was no big deal😭

Ironically Malleus will probably be the first overblotter to not have his actions hidden to only a select circle of people and receive severe repercussions for it because someone like him "should've been above that".

But yeah sometimes I feel like the extent of how some factors in Malleus's background, upbringing and environment determine his way of thinking and why he thinks he needs to do certain things is underestimated by the fandom and only the surface level of what he's doing is focused on which results in some people talking about his character and his flaws in a very dismissive way idk

[zvezdacito]

The day the Diasomnia quartet fully grasps the difference between completely doing something for someone else/someone else doing everything for you (serving either below or above) VS working alongside someone and WITH them and actually communicating with each other is the day I will achieve inner peace

[zvezdacito]

This was more in response to the theories that the Dawn Armour is gonna be directly similar/in any way taken from Knight of Dawn's Armour. I know we haven't seen an image of it yet so it's also possible that it will be an original design and just referring to Silver's general connection to dawn

And I know it's impossible for Malleus to be killed-off (permanently) here, he's a mascot character and there's still much left to explore about him. When I say "beat" it also encompasses ideological/moral triumph through battle. It kinda just leaves a bad taste in my mouth for KoD's "peacefulness/misguided virtue" through Silver to be positioned as that over a traumatized Malleus (who is the way he is largely as a consequence of KoD's actions). The Knight of Dawn or anything symbolically affiliated with the Silver Owls don't deserve to be the face of "leading change" here/be seen as the ones "giving grace" in a sense. Or that to have character development Silver has to "accept" them in some way

Explanations of why I rag on him before people respond with the usual excuses and coddling:

Like this is just him when it comes to talking about the horrors of war between faefolk and mankind:

(also kinda annoying how his tone almost paints it as a mutual failure of empathy for both parties when the humans were the aggressors + the fae were the ones disproportionately harmed and displaced. Him lowkey making himself out to be a victim in this is why i think there's a possibility of him being commentary on the line between virtue/sympathy/solidarity and white saviorism)

Well it always was bound to happen but idk if I'm 100% vibing with the idea of Silver "heroically" succeeding against Malleus by donning the image of the colonizer that killed Malleus's mother

^ Though this is only if they completely beat Malleus from this and they completely ignore the irony and colonial subtext of it

I feel like the only appropriate way for this to be brought up in the story is if it's about the horror of history repeating itself, especially through people who love each other, rather than being framed as "Wow Silver is achieving the Knight of Dawn's white saviory wish" (which ends up centering the fae away from the resolution of their own post-war trauma)

Also don't vibe how when talking about the parallels to the past people bothsides the Dawn Knight's and Meleanor's accountability in "inflicting hurt" to each other😭 Even if you bring up Henrik guilt-tripping the Knight it's still a disproportionate and unfair comparison in terms of systemic impact lol

This is my killjoy opinion sorry everyone

[zvezdacito]

// TWST Book 7 spoilers, thoughts of Malleus's writing as a character

So I was reading some other people's opinions on why some people consider Malleus overrated/annoying, and tbh this makes me really sad. The general consensus is that a lot of people fixate on certain sides and can only see him as one extreme or the other and it results in many ppl thinking a watered down version of his character is how he is in canon.

I feel that its such a shame because he's the most interesting, compelling and well-rounded take on his character archetype I've seen.

From my observation, usually they kinda make this archetype (the broody misunderstood 'everyone fears him like a monster except for one special person') someone you can't take that seriously, because of how his struggle usually kind of written in a way where everyone involved feel less like actual fully fledged original characters and really just one note tropes interacting with other one note tropes.

To elaborate: What i mean when i say this is usually ppl who hate him kind of just do because of plot requires them to and to show how all their haters are "normies" who can't get him because 'he's not like everyone else'. The misunderstood guy still usually has toxic personality issues but the story really tends to make it feel like they don't fear him for that but because they're shallow and have prejudice to ppl like him, so his personality issues are not framed as wrong or character flaws.

I don't think there's anything inherenrly wrong or mediocre with the "one special person who gives him a chance before anyone else" trope like I'm literally a Malleyuu enjoyer lol but like i said its all in the execution cause otherwise it fails to be compelling and believable. Usually in the poorly written version of this trope the guy doesn't undergo any character development other than showing more emotion and kindess to his partner because they melted his ice I guess so it really makes his whole character feel like its revolves around the sake of romance and fanservice.

Malleus doesn't fall into this trap in my opinion because his situation despite how fantastical it is, the way he was written makes it believable as to why everything is the way it is with him, and it also challenges the viewer if they would be able to say they wouldn't fear him too in that situation.

"We're gonna give you this character who everyone sees as a monster and show you deep down he just wants the same love as everyone else, making you contemplate changing judgement on him. He wants to prove this, but his way of going about it always inadvertently harms others."

"You know where hes coming from and if he had that social connection to give him a better understanding of others this wouldn't be happening, but its also equally understandable that the people hes trying to connect with don't deserve this and fear him even more after this, trapping him in a cycle of isolation."

"Given his track record, do you go about giving him a chance or just considering the repeatedly proven danger he brings. With the valid reasons of both parties, can you really say he isn't a monster and demand that 'if only people be near him'?"

There's just such a tragic and thought-provoking dilemma to his character that adds so many layers that makes him so good.

As omniscient viewers we have the benefit of seeing what he's going through form his POV so we can sympathize with him and understand that he thinks what he's doing is the best course of action and he's just trying to create a "win for everyone" situation.

But also everything he does ironically reaffirms everyone's fear and distrust of someone like him. No one can deny he has a tendency to cause further destruction when he tries to do something "good", examples including: past Briar Valley lantern lighting fire, the Halloween 2 ghost world party, and now his Sleeping Curse stunt in Book 7 Part 2 (they really emphasize this by making the spoken name of his UM basically mean "Malicious Fairy" but have its written name used to convey what its meant to mean be "Blessing").

↑ Given this, it honestly makes sense others, especially those who don't know him all that well, would just expect the worst when he's around already, and you wouldn't be able to blame them for that given the track record. It doesn't help that this impression is worsened since he tends to cause misunderstandings due to his lack of familiarity with human social cues.

Alongside the bias and preconceived notions from his status and reputation, they also make a point on how his personality flaws are still also a huge factor in pushing people away, such as not being able to see things through the perspective of others.

He also holds a subconcious belief due to what has been ingrained in him since childhood as a Draconia and the next in line that because he's superior to others at certain things, he has the right and responsibility to decide on what will protect and help them, disregarding the individual values/priorities of human beings and leading him to take reckless and destructive action with good intentions.

His upbringing, character strengths and character flaws are all realistically connected to each other and the way they are subtly shown to be ever-present in defining his decisions, goals and thoughts throughout the whole story. So we don't really need to have a character go out of their way to exposition this to us this word for word just so we can understand and believe it.

Moving onto something slightly more lighthearted, I really also like how dorky Malleus surprisingly was. Other similar characters in the archetype I usually see don't really have any hobbies, interests, or quirks outside of being a broody authority figure, which might've been appealing to some at first but it really just gets stale and boring after a while.

This should be the bare minimum in making a fleshed out and interesting character so maybe i sound like im giving them too much credit for pointing it out😭 But yeah compared to the other examples it's good that Malleus has his Tamagotchi and Gargoyle interests it makes him feel like a believable person who has his own life going on too (with the bonus that these interests are also metaphors for aspects of his character). The gap moe adds an endearing side to him, and makes the gap between his intent and impact of his actions even more tragic. It wouldn't hit the same without this side.

(^ Forgot how the exact quote goes, but it basically said dark stories are more effective when there are moments of genuine happiness and good in them, compared to if it was always just grim and edgy. The former increases the stakes and tragedy because you have something you to care about losing, while for the latter there is nothing for you to care about so nothing the story does really matters. Same logic applies to Malleus)

Overall, it's just like an unfortunate incompatibility of goals and circumstances, which is what TWST is all about. Another thing I want to say is out of all the characters, I feel like Malleus is the one who is the ultimate embodiment of TWST's main themes:

-> How it's not about "hero" vs "villain" just differing circumstances crossing paths and clashing because of how people on either side have their own complex perspective and dreams they want to realize

-> And how connection and finding community is important to find people who will help you make up for what you lack in reaching your goals and to better understand all the factors that caused the situation in the first place.

As if seeing yourself reflected in a mirror, the more you get to know the people around you, you realize in many ways you are actually quite alike, and through understanding others you could also possibly better understand certain aspects of yourself. It's sort of encouraging you to do the opposite of dehumanizing others and yourself, which is something Malleus has most evidently internalized.

So yeah this was so long😭 I had a lot I wanted to say since Malleus is my favorite TWST character. Idk if I missed anything or if i managed to express my thoughts in a cohesive way but yeah. I kinda go into a rage whenever I see the worst takes ever be put out about his character but tbh sometimes I can't completely blame others since fandom trends and the convenience of simplifying things into tropes can warp your perception of a character and what you associate with them.

Also sometimes twst doesn't do a good job with utilizing his character like Book 5 where he got turned into a deus ex machina and Halloween 2 where they killed any hype and intrigue for the plot we had at the beginning through the ending reveal and gave the worst justification ever for Malleus and Lilia's actions ever.

Regardless, I hope more people manage to move past this and appreciate his character for what it really is soon though. He's an amazingly tragic character; a lot of thought was put into how his experiences, strengths and weaknesses would convincingly connect, and he represents something relevant in the story's plot and themes.

The fact that I've seen some people unironically believe that Malleus may just be faking his cluelessness of social cues to hide his "true evil" is evidence to how convincing his character's situation is, that even some in the audience who know more about him than the characters would still end up in the same place of doubt and distrust of Malleus because of what he's capable of.

Aight thank you for reading👍

[zvezdacito]

Maybe this is a reach but...

Do you think the exaggerated shadows and lighting in Silver and Malleus's dorm cards respectively was intentional stylization to make some chunks of their hair resemble and parallel each other's hair color

Cause I don't think that shade would naturally make certain parts of Silver's hair colored way darker than the other parts it's been bothering me since the Silver groovy dropped. Especially with black shading of all colors

Though now that Malleus's dorm card is kind of doing the same thing with making Malleus's hair purplish white specifically in lighting, maybe it was purposeful hinting after all? Since their poses are also kind of mirroring each other's

[zvezdacito]

Twst Book 7 Diasomnia spoilers

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(TL from icylancet on twitter)

Malleus's unique magic being spoken as "Fae of Maleficence" (Evil Fairy) but it's Kanji being written as "blessing"...

Further adding to how he intends for things to be blessings, protections or gifts, only for the ironic reality of it being what further causes disaster, harm and destruction, and what drives people even more away from him in fear.

Like when he meant to help in the lantern lighting ceremony but just ended up causing a huge fire, when he wanted to throw that surprise Halloween party but just endangered and startled the cast, and now this...

He wants to prove that there is no gift he can't provide and no danger he can't protect them from that they would need to go away from him to seek it elsewhere, but ends up being what they need to run from and be protected from instead.

I like to think after he is about to be defeated or after he is defeated his constant failure to successfully help ppl with his "gifts" makes him question if ppl were right to distance themselves from him like he was a monster and if this makes him deserving to be alone after all...

[zvezdacito]

(TWST Briar Valley culture theory??)

My friends were talking about the meticulous differences between sewing styles between West European countries like France VS Germany and it got me thinking like.

What if the Briar Valley hometown event/a part of Briar Valley culture in general centers around some kind of weaving festival?

They could frame the festival lore on something like "In honor of the mystical spinning wheel used by the Thorn Witch from our legends, so let's host a weaving festival as if we are continuing our work with the threads that wheel spun"

It either involves the whole process from spinning ur own threads to weaving ur own cloths/ start with the weaving right away with pre-provided threads from the Draconia royal family (it comes from them cause they basically do something ritualistic first to make it represent the threads from the legend like a priest blessing wafers in communion).

Malleus makes a bunch of very on-the-nose spinning wheel reference lines so I think it would make sense if the reason he said those were because they are like common idioms/sayings in the Briar Valley because of how symbolic and even somewhat sacred their cloth making process is to their culture?  Spinning and weaving is also apparently a trait that is heavily associated with Fae folklore so. Neat stuff

Other than the weaving festival being a ritualistic festival recreation of the Thorn Fairy's legends, they could also have a unique and magic-infused method of spinning and weaving native and trademark to the valley since the majority of the Valley's residents are fae and mostly rely on magic to do with day to day life.

Maybe the cloths and tapestries they weave are things that bring about the change of seasons cause I remember that being present in the worldbuilding of the Tinkerbell movies, and is also something Malleus Silver or Sebek (can't remember who) said that is a legend of the fairies TWSTland so🤷 it's possible there's a connection

The fae live longer lives and as a result have a slower pace and perceive time differently so it's possible this festival isn't an annual thing, but rather an ever several years thing (every decade, every century, etc.) But if the seasons weaving theory is true it might be like every quarter of the year?

We do know that the fae celebrate fairy gala and Valley Halloween annually tho so idk😭 maybe they're selective with when they perceive time differently or the writers just didn't think too much about how time perception differences would affect the schedules and lifestyle of the Valley residents 🤷😭

Idk that's just what I accidentally thought of about what Briar Valley culture could be like it would be cool if spinning and weaving were important parts of Briar culture fr tho I think it would be very potentially interesting to explore for a fictional culture in my opinion

[zvezdacito]

//Silver Halloween groovy spoilers

Malleus and silver card comparisons!! I like the motif twst sorta has going with silver having this uncanny resemblance to malleus in physical appearance and motifs. He's sort of like a 'heroic' reprise of malleus in a way

[zvezdacito]

Yeah we talk about the silver and aurora parallels but can we start talking about the malleus aurora parallels 🗣️‼️

Aurora is constantly fussed on and guarded by her 3 retainers because she's a princess. The 3 fairies disguising as regular human ladies to watch over aurora in her time as Briar Rose is like the other 3 Diasomnia members, especially Lilia, enrolling as fellow students of night raven college to watch over malleus in his time there.

They are well meaning but we can see how them guarding her can sometimes be very suffocating for her. She doesn't really have anyone other than these 3 fairies(she is literally not allowed to talk to strangers so lol they're very strict with guarding her)

Other than everyone else controlling what and where in her life because she is the princess she is restricted within the confines of that role and can't really do anything for herself that will go against that.

These things are sorta the same for Malleus oof lol. A more general thing but like aurora malleus wasn't raised by his parents or biological family and was mostly brought up by a fairy guardian.

TL;DR

Aurora = malleus

Three good fairies = could parallel silsebe Lilia with malleus as aurora

Aurora and malleus are always fussed on and guarded by their 3 fairy godmothers/retainers. They're well meaning and caring but they're very strict with guarding them so it's a bit suffocating at times for them. Other than the strict guarding of the three, their status as royalty also contributes to their restricted personal life options.

I think all the overblotters have slight characteristics from their movies' protagonists too. Azul is like ariel in the collection of things (they both want to collect more and more even tho they have 'a lot' already)

Jamil is like jasmine in that he has no agency and is restricted by his social status, idia is a bit like Megara with the sassy side comments and being bound to something he doesn't really want to be in, etc🕺

There's probably more to say but I've been out of it this entire week so I can't really collect my thoughts and articulate myself that well rn lol feel free to add if u have more thoughts to share🕺

Ig since silver and malleus have a lot of proabbly intentional similarities to each other it makes sense that they both have elements of Aurora's story and character in them

[zvezdacito]

Haha do u guys ever think about how malleus and silver look similar with reversed color palettes

sheeesh hope this design choice doesnt indicate anything like how silver parallels malleus in a way they were both orphaned to be raised by lilia but silver was raised with more leniency and affection than malleus because he wasn’t burdened by titles and constantly keeping up the ominous impression expected of a fae prince haha