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The Allure of Chocolates - Soryu

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Belated Valentine Episode! The Allure of Chocolates - Eisuke

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A belated Valentine episode! The Allure of Chocolate - Prologue

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Second part of Eisuke’s Twist of Fate is up! Hope you guys enjoy! Leave a like and subscribe if you do!

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Second video on the channel: Kissed by the baddest bidder - Twist of Fate 1 (Eisuke).

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Bird Photography by Vanessa Yee

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Reigniting Inner Child

I’m sure we have all heard these phrases in our life before, “stop acting like a child”, “grow up already”, or “you’re a grown up now so you should act like one.” We spend our lives rushing to grow up like we are in a marathon that we later find ourselves forcing others that do not follow this to also behave and grow up.

Growing up is a phase everyone has to go through even if we do not want it. It is sad and hard since you can’t do what you usually do as well as being expected to do everything on your own, even if you might not be able to reach their expectation but still strive to survive and live a comfortable life.

Unlike when we were in school, when you make a mistake, the worst that could ever happen is being scolded or the teachers have to take over it but if that were in the adult world, no one is willing to help you and will be severe consequences ranging from loss of money or the reputation you have built through the years and the worst is lives being harmed—it is no wonder that everyone would soon forget their inner child, pushing it back into the deepest part of our minds and forget to enjoy the little things in life.

In our lives, there is always a person or a group of people we envy either because they have everything we don’t have or just seem like they have the perfect life since they become excited about the little and the big things, having a great weather or someone simply greeting them back. It’s because they’re fully embracing their inner child which results in them living with a higher level of happiness compared to those who choose to leave their inner child buried deep within them.

This is why books such as the Harry Potter series or the Percy Jackson chronicles as well as games such as Pokémon by Nintendo, Genshin Impact by MiHoYo and the Japan only game, Twisted-Wonderland worked so well—they light the imaginative part of our brain. They made a world so real that people from all over the world rushed to see and experience worlds filled with endless possibilities that contain magic and mystical creatures.

To those who think that they no longer have their inner child, don’t worry because our inner child never leaves even if we’ve buried or pushed it away, it exists inside of our hearts and minds. It is going to be difficult to reconnect with your inner child, but it is possible as long as you look deep enough. Remember, don’t be afraid to lose yourself in the unbelievable sometimes and never release your sense of wonder and imagination because it’s what created many wonderful things in our life. Play to your heart's desire, don’t think that it is childish to do so and have fun with your family or friends. It’s okay to let loose because life is not all about the hardships—be adventures and don’t lose that curiosity. Once you’ve found that inner child again, you’ll thank yourself in the future.

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A Psychology Major’s View on Inner Child

Photos do not belong to me but to their respectful owners.

Stephen Notarte is a Filipino college student who majors in Psychology since last year simply because he “finds the thought process of others and how they perceive it very interesting.” Since his senior high school days, he has studied and looked at everything in a psychological manner, which causes him to be asked by personally close friends and a few students that new—during his free time—about his thoughts on their problem and how they should approach it without hurting anyone or simply reducing the damage it will cause.

Born and raised in Davao, he enrolled in Ateneo his second year in junior high then changed to Tecaro then went back to Ateneo for G11 but repeated a year due to personal reasons. But on that year, he took interest on Psychology after he noticed the increasing stress his friends were experiencing thus took it upon himself to help them despite the limited knowledge he had with it. He dedicated himself to that study even more after he noticed some of his friends were physically hurting themselves and becoming even more erratic—wanting to spread awareness that no matter how small or big the problem is, it can significantly affect anyone, no matter how strong they are. Then in 2018, he went to Malayan Colleges Mindanao to continue his studies up until last year.

In regard to the topic of Inner Child, Vanessa Yee interviewed Stephen Notarte because of his immense knowledge and understanding of the matter, through the application Messenger and google document because due to the Quarantine about the effects of the Inner Child to our life along with its meaning.

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Vanessa Yee: Hello, Stephan! Do you remember that interview article that I told you about a few weeks back, are you free for a quick interview?

Stephen Notarte: Sure, do we have to do a video call?

VY: No, I’m just gonna send you a document with a list containing my questions since the internet has been slow these days. So, I’d like you to answer it with what you just know about it and if I have any more questions, I will ask you about it.

SN: Sure, sure.

VY: (sends the document)

SN: (opens the document)

In your interpretation, what do you think the definition of inner child is?

Well, inner child is like the mentality that has persisted throughout the years and is connected to your childhood that either you had or never had.

Are you still connected with your inner child? If so, how do you stay connected with your inner child? Is it by reading? Playing games? Talking?

Yes, since it’s more like a part of me than a separate entity that can be switched out. I try to balance these things and try to adapt them to my daily activities. Repressing this mentality is not healthy and would just cause more strain on my wellbeing but it’s also not an excuse to laze around. So, I try to balance them and live with it since it’s a part of me and just try to ignore the judgements but still be open to other opinions that can actually help.

VY: Can you elaborate the activities you add in your daily life?

SN: Sure, sure. I guess all I did was just explain why I’m still connected with my inner child. I stay connected with my inner child by letting loose and letting my imagination go wild when doing activities like playing games or just simply socializing with close friends.

Do you think it is important to embrace our inner child or do you think that we should bury them as we grow old? Will this affect our decisions or our life if we choose to ignore this?

We should maintain a balance between both and know when to show such things at the right place. Some people might not like the idea that people can easily show off such emotions and could disrupt other people. The effects of showing this emotion can somewhat affect our decision making if we let it get out of control but if we are able to manage it then it shouldn't be able to affect our daily activities and affect the people around us.

VY: So, you think we should just balance it? What happens to those that do not show their emotions as well as to those that can’t seem to balance both? Do you have any advice for them?

SN: If they are unable to balance their emotion or control their childish behavior, one can always try and find a medium to manage their needs. The medium can be anything: like a stuffed bear, a photograph, a ball etc,. This will help them channel. Doing this will help you manage or redirect these emotions by simply holding them and remind you that everything is still within your control and that you don't have to let it control you.

Why do you think people dislike the thought of showing their inner child aspect? Is it because they were not able to embrace theirs or simply because of the thought of showing it?

They dislike other people showing their inner child because it shows how free they are and how they can just let go of the things that are usually occupying the day-to-day lives of people. There are other people who have to keep up a social image or have to repress their emotions for the sake of their jobs, family & other external/internal factors. Not embracing their inner child can be the result of adults having no childhood or having to hide it for the sake of others and their social standing.

In a Psychology major’s point of view, can adults learn something from children when it comes to embracing their inner child aspect?

Adults can actually learn a few things from children about how to live and how to tackle certain challenges in life. As we grow older we sometimes get used to a certain way of solving problems. We don't try to see if there is a better way or an option that hasn't been considered. Children at their age are unique in a sense since they still aren't bound by the logic and rules that we adults have learned over the years. But that doesn't mean that we should just revert back and try to go and ignore what we learned. It's just that we should try and broaden our way of thinking to further develop ourselves and our surroundings.

SN: Is that all the questions you're going to ask?

VY: Yes, thank you for cooperating with me.

SN: No problem. Just message me if you have any more questions to ask.

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That was the end of the interview with Stephan Notarte which was actually a fast one since he just needed to answer the questions I’ve asked him and adding a couple of more when I am confused or need more elaboration on his answer. During the interview, I realized how difficult communicating online was especially if your work is recorded via the internet. But after reading my questions that were finally answered, I was ecstatic and educated about our inner child.

It is something that was born alongside us—a twin that we never noticed because it does not have a physical form yet is always with us: watching and caring for us. It was with us during our strongest moments and our weakest, reassuring that everything will be fine. It is the side that makes us quite “childish” in some people’s perspective when in reality, they were just releasing the built-up loneliness that we prefer to hide rather than showing it which only comes out once we find someone comfortable or someone that understands you or even an item we had since we were little—too precious to let go. Just like children, we should also have time for ourselves despite the busy schedule our work has given us, but we should also balance it as life doesn’t stop for everyone that are not born with everything in the world.

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DON’T HOLD IT IN

Photos do not belong to me but to their respectful owners.

As I grew older, my mind tends to wonder about what to do after college, the amount of work that my mother has to do to keep us feed and sheltered, the utility bills that my father has to keep track for my mother to be updated, the amount food that I have to buy to feed my dogs and the rules that I have to follow which grows bigger and bigger the longer I live in this world—a loop that never stops for everyone. It is easy to forget the wonders the world has to offer us and the curiosity we once had we were a child because of the responsibilities and burdens we have to carry in our life.

‘We get caught in the grown-up trap and forget to have fun, embracing your inner child will connect you with contentment and simplicity that you once had as a kid,’stated by Nick Taylor, co-author of the book Be More Kid from the article of Anya Meyerowtiz called Why we should embrace our inner child and 5 ways to do it. Just the first six words, it already made me realize how much society has influenced everyone and its not just the law itself. From the norms and how people judge us in our actions and how we should act outside. ‘As adults, we are always looking for the end destination of happiness; embracing your inner child will assist you to reconnect with finding contentment in the moment and relish life’s journey.’

It is hard to embrace our inner child if we can’t even love ourselves in the first place—lost in a sea of judgement and rules that the adults pushed into us because we grew up thinking that they know everything: lived earlier and longer than us. We listen and respect them since they cared for us, fed us since we were little babies, and gave us shelter throughout our lives; but why do say hurtful things such as telling us to ‘stop acting childish and act like your age’ when we simply just want to express our problem? It’s not being childish or sensitive, we simply want you to hear what is happening to us right now and understand. We don’t play because we are lazy, we play because we want to escape the hurtful things reality has done to us mentally and just want to relax, we don’t just go out because we want to be with our friends more, we just want someone to talk to someone who would understand us better. We just wanted to have someone to talk but is given a scolding instead—even when we did our best with our academic.

According to the article Traditional Chinese parenting: What research says about children and why they succeed, children achieve higher achievement in academics, but it causes their well-being: kids are at a higher risk to emotional problems. It also said that “research suggest that kids benefit when parents abandon psychological controlling tactics, and practice positive parenting,” a thing most Chinese parents do not do.

It may be perhaps the life they had before or how our grandparents raised them back then, but it does not mean that they should also do that to us to. I find it quite ironic (funny) that they would always tell us that they don’t want that to happen too but ultimately does it anyways. It may be a subconscious action, but it hurts us. We may not be showing it as much as before, but it hurts more than having a physical cut from the book we read. It may sound like ranting, but I have seen many of my friends beat themselves up physically because of how their parents pressure them for a good grade in school, some going to the internet café to play their stress away while the other, the worst of them all, physically hurt themselves because we don’t act like they want.

We need to express ourselves as we grow older, people may think that it is childish or weird for being expressive, but we are not robots that could handle all the criticism without getting hurt, we are humans that need each other to survive, no matter how much we have been hurt or hide it because it will always come out sooner or later. Many may think that money is the answer to our happiness, the end goal of our destination but its not. It’s just a necessity in life for the economy. The real thing that would make use happy is embracing our inner child because it’s what controls us when everything is too much for us to handle (Trieu, 2020).

Works Cited

Bet-David, P. (2017, May 16). What causes people to Change? Retrieved from PATRICKBET-DAVID: https://www.patrickbetdavid.com/causes-people-change/

Meyerowitz, A. (2020, November 11). Why we should embrace our inner child and 5 ways to do it. Retrieved from Red: https://www.redonline.co.uk/health-self/self/a34725323/how-to-embrace-inner-child/

Trieu, T. (2020, December 31). What Is Inner Child Work? A Guide To Healing Your Inner Child. Retrieved from mbg: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/inner-child-work

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5 Ways to Reconnecting with your Inner Child

There is a child within everyone, not a literal child but one who has been with us through thick and thin—though we tend to forget that since we can neither see nor hear them as they have no physical form but is noticeable when we are at the lowest point of our lives.

As we grow older, there are times we forget to enjoy the small things in our life, even when it may look like a waste of time especially to others. It sometimes causes us to negatively think that is why we feel like no one understands what we are going through since we don't have the time to socialize with others or to simply relax. That's why allowing ourselves to reconnect with our inner child will bring us more than we expected.

So, what does this mean for us? It means to have some fun with our friends or family, explore the vast world, laugh out loud from jokes, and see the world in another perspective. Down below is a list of simple ways that I have observed and experience to be effective in reconnecting with our inner child.

1. EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS!

Since children are still young, they can express themselves easily by randomly laughing or playing but as we grow older, social norms tend to influence most of our behaviors and decisions which could cause loss of self-esteem or the fear of rejection.

We all deserve to express ourselves and our opinions because not only does it strengthen the bonds with other people, but it also improves our confidence and decision making skills compared to when we hold back as stated by an article on The University of Kansas Health System called Why is Emotional Expression Important.

2. VISIT CHILDHOOD MEMORIES!

Nostalgia is another key factor to getting in touch with your inner child because events that happened in the past is what shape us to what we are now. Try flipping through the photo albums your mother made or your school yearbooks when you were young or maybe rereading your childhood diaries. You can also talk with your parents or siblings, if not childhood friends to reminiscences the past—this can evoke feelings and memories you’d forgotten.

3. PLAY!

Responsibilities such as paying the rent bills or completing errands is what mostly take a huge part in our lives once we reach a certain age, and we have to take this seriously as our livelihood but every once in a while, we should take a break. Have fun by going out with your friends, dance around your house to music, or have a good laugh by either watching a funny drama or reading a book—this makes everyday life more exciting and cheerier.

According to an article Nick Wignall published on his own site titled Emotional Intelligence: 7 Physiological Benefits of Playfulness for Adults talks how playfulness plays a valuable part in stopping negative emotions from plaguing our mind and to make better relationships.

4. LET'S GET CREATIVE!

Arts and crafts beings can bring out our inner child! From coloring something to singing a song—it helps you reconnect with them which also has a lot of benefits for your mentality and social life, according to the news article entitled 5 Big Benefits of Creative Expression posted on the website Brightwater which is a group that supports people of all ages.

5. SPEND TIME WITH CHILDREN!

Since children are still untainted by the norm of society and the worlds rules—enjoying the little things in life thus is perfect to connecting with your inner child. Playing games that you once played when you were young would take you back to the days you and your cousins were playing outside. Hide-and-seek or playing tag can unrestraint you from the worries in the world. Plays such as the floor is lava or playing house can also take you back to the time you had during kindergarten.

Whenever you are facing a difficult situation, you imagine a better scenario which helps you cope and feel more secure. It is a normal psychological reaction—a type of defense mechanism that simulate our mind to think all through our experience to gain knowledge and solve a problem.

Making time to play with your younger siblings or cousins doesn’t mean that it increases your sense of playfulness and expressions, it just gives a positive impact to our well-being that plays a part to developing our inner child.

And there you have it. Those are the five ways that I have thought and based on my personal experience. Playing games that reignited my imagination which not only assisted me on creating new work despite my lack of talent for it. Being more open about my feelings which has help lift up the heavy burdens—the worries—that I’ve caged inside my heart. Revisiting the places that I grew up even when some of them contain the saddest moments in my life and even the happiest. And spending time with children by being creative, imagining that the floor is lava then playing tag with them outside were one of the things I would do to grow closer to them even talking about the new animation I was watching to keep the conversation going.

If you try one of the 5 ways listed above, you are steps closer to reconnecting with your inner child but do this with the interest of reconnecting, not because someone told you to do so. Your inner child is not something to escape reality nor a reason for immaturity, it is our sense of curiosity—the core of wonder that knows the world is a place that should be experienced, questioned, and answered just like all the people that were before us.

References

Brightwater. (2019, May 15). 5 Big Benefits of Creative Expression. Retrieved from Brightwater: https://brightwatergroup.com/news-articles/5-big-benefits-of-creative-expression/

Why is Emotional Expression Important? (2020, December 15). Retrieved from The University of Kansas Health System: https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/health-resources/turning-point/programs/resilience-toolbox/emotional-expression/why-is-emotional-expression-important

Wignall, N. (2019, August 26). Emotional Intelligence: 7 Psychological Benefits of Playfulness for Adults. Retrieved from NickWignall: https://nickwignall.com/benefits-of-playfulness/

Photos do not belong to me but to their respectful owners.

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The Mobile Game that Turned Disney Villains into Pretty Boys and Girls into Simps

There have always been some days in our lives on where you feel like doing nothing and just sit around in your room like a leaf that is waiting to be blown away by the wind since your brain said, “let’s not do anything since I find doing chores tiresome,” which not only make the procrastination monkey control you, causing you to laze around until you are motivated, but also pile up work that should be done. Now, there are some people who would prefer reading books during this time, some arrange a puzzle that has been in their house for ages or watching the new movie of Marvel, Spider-Man: No Way Home (which was a blast. I recommend watching it for Marvel Fans—especially Spider-Man fans). But as for me, I prefer playing games that either have these three genres or a mix: fantasy, mystery, and romance.

I’ve played many games throughout my life—even tried playing a bunch of horror games to scare me back to doing my work since it would distract my mind from what I just played, but nothing beats games which has puzzles with a pinch of mystery and a dash of fantasy into it. Of course, I have encountered some games that were quite a letdown when it comes to displaying the true essence of the game’s character stories but there are also those that did an astonishing job into showing it despite the graphics (basing on this ages graphics since we didn’t have the money to buy those before) such as the Kingdom Hearts franchise, God Eater franchise, Fire Emblem franchise, or Pokémon franchise. All of these games were fantastic—revolutionary even.

I still remember that time when I found out the real reason to why Soma Schicksal from God Eater was rude to everyone around him especially to the protagonist during the first mission—completely changing my view of him. I gradually liked him as a character I could depend on in every mission rather than picking him because of his design or as to why Robin from Fire Emblem: Awakening, was found on a field by the secondary character and their real identity: all of them giving me lasting impressions but that is until I come across a mobile game which was not only the perfect game that reawakened my childhood nostalgia for Disney animation back in the early 2000s, since this game was co-created by Disney Japan and Aniplex, but also became a personal favorite of mine immediately due to the characters; and the story—Disney: Twisted-Wonderland.

In this article, I will be talking about the character developments in the story, the story they are inspired from, the character designs, and the design of the background. I will also be tackling about the mechanics of the game ranging from how to defeat the enemies in the game, the elements used on the game, and how to strengthen your units. At the last section of this article, I will be talking about my final thoughts of the game itself.

Halloween Title Screen by Toboso Yana

Sadly, Twisted-wonderland is a Japan exclusive game; that was until they finally announced an English released back in 27th of December. For those who do not know this game, Twisted-Wonderland is a game that is heavily based on Disney’s beloved villains, those we used to hate for ruining the protagonist’s life until we released that they aren’t really that bad upon further inspection. This game can be played on the Android, IOS, and IPad for FREE! You read me right, for free. It baffles me to how this game managed to hire talented voice actors such as Noriaki Sugiyama who voiced theUchiha Sasuke from Naruto Shippuden and Emiya Shiro from fate/Stay night, Umehara Yūichiro who voiced the Courier from Akudama Drive and Mars from Black Clover.

Of course, there are many talented and amazing voice actors in the game, but those were the two voices that I did not expect to be voicing the most unexpected characters in the game as their characters are known for being the silent-type or the genius turned bad characters in the anime—astonishing me with their skills.

There are a total of seven chapters in the story, with the exception of the prologue as it is an introduction to the school and the mechanics of the game, which are about the villains in the stories and their built-up emotional stresses: Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Scar from Lion King, Ursula from Little Mermaid, Jafar from Aladdin, the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hades from Hercules, and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty; all which were designed by the marvelous Toboso Yana, the writer and illustrator of my favorite manga series: Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji).

In this world, the player (Yuu) is the protagonist who was brought into the world of Twisted Wonderland by the Mirror of Darkness and quickly found themselves enrolled in the magic school called Night Raven College or NRC. The masked headmaster, Crowley, offers us shelter as he searches a way back home. As we continue our life there, we come to learn that there are a total of seven dormitories in the school which are modeled after the grand beings that once lived in the world and upon entering the school, students are sorted into these dorms based on the quality of their souls. These dorms are:

Heartslabyul, founded on the severity of the Queen of Hearts.

Savanaclaw, founded on the tenacity of the King of Beasts.

Octavinelle, founded on the compassion of the Sea Witch,

Scarabia, founded on the deliberation of the Sorcerer of the Sand.

Pomefiore, founded on the unrelenting efforts of the Beautiful Queen.

Ignihyde, founded on the diligence of the Lord of the Dead.

Diasomnia, founded on the elegance of the Witch of Thorns.

There is also a dorm not part of the seven main dormitories called the Ramshackle, a dormitory that has been abandoned by the school for years and is currently occupied by the protagonist, Grim, and the ghosts. Down below is a picture of each dorm’s logo as well as the Night Raven College’s insignia.

Illustration from the article of Alister Wong about the new characters

As a college student that is studying Multimedia Arts, the first thing that catches my attention was the art style of characters. Toboso really caught the major key points of each villain and their supporting characters design along with their personality and their story. An excellent example of this are the Leech twins, Jade (the one with a black strand on the left) and Flyod (the one with a black strand on the right) as the Moray Eels in the Little Mermaid franchise.

According to the Fandom site, Floyd is about 191 cm while Jade is just a centimeter shorter than him. They both have hetrochromia, which are yellow and olive and when they are underwater, they transform into Moray Eels with some human features such as a pair of hands that are joined by caudal fins, a human torso that has gills on the side and face that has fin-like ears.

Picture of Floyd (left) and Jade (right) in human and merman form from ... T...I... in Pintrest

To strengthen this claim, the character Leona Kingscholar is the perfect replica to what Scar would look like if he were an anthropomorphic (having human characteristics). He is a muscular young man with brown skin; he has thick, messy brown hair with two braids on either side. He has a gorgeous pair of green eyes which has a thin scar that goes from his left eyebrow to his check. In his first appearance in the game, he is a slacker who is arrogant and quite prideful, often looking down at others when he believes they are inferior to him. He often skips classes and prefers to take a nap in the Botanical Garden. Just like Scar in the movie, he is easily jealous because of his birth as the second son who is “inferior” that his brother thus will do everything to achieve victory or get the things he desires—even going as far as hijacking the inter-dorm Magift tournament (RUGBY in real life just with magic) to beat Diasomnia and injuring other students along the way weeks before the game. It surprises me how well-thought each scene was and the interactions he had with Ruggie, the representation of the Hyenas in the movie. I could only applaud in my mind as I continued the game and watching the translation in YouTube—excited for the incoming chapters (note: the game is still at chapter 6 and is still ongoing).

Leona and Ruggie by elisutora from Twitter

The game has also taken consideration the style of each dormitory from the story they game from. Heartslabyul has a distorted-type of dorm which reminds us of the weird and very ridiculous rules of the Queen of Hearts. They still have the garden where Alice stumbles upon the Solider Cards painting the rose tree into red, only in this game you find your senior using magic to paint them red. Savanaclaw has the sunny and dry dessert feel of the savanna where animals fight for their food and who gets to be on top of the food chain—the circle of life. Octavinelle, the personal favorite of mine, has the refreshing yet mysterious gleam of the ocean. Calm and elegant yet has the eerie feeling of the unknown especially the depts of the ocean that hasn’t been explored. Scarabia has the bright yet hot environment of the sands, a large enclosure with extravagant interior design to show the sultan—in this case, Asim family’s—wealth to the players. Pomefioreshows the Evil Queen’s hunger for beauty and elegance, a large castle adored with various flowers and an elegant garden. The inside of the castle filled with mirrors and luxurious items that’s been embraided with golden thread.

Since the game is still not finished, I am unable to tell on what the last two dormitory are, but I will try to describe them from the small hints they have shown in the game which is mainly the character and special events. Ignihyde, seem to have a lot of blue colors in it which is not a surprise since Hades has a flaming blue hair—literally. But if I were to decipher it based on what the color meant, it would mean that the story will be filled with sadness regarding his past or perhaps the longing of something. It is filled with advance technology and are mostly introverted. Diasomnia on the other, is hard to talk about as there hasn’t been a complete overview of the entire dormitory except for the color and each of their rooms but judging from the design, it is the same concept to the castle of Maleficent in the animated version only more fixed and decorated. Same as the Ignihyde color meaning, I would say that in the final chapter, it may be about envy for how unfair the dorm leader feels to being uninvited by the students and people alike.

Octavinelle Dormitory photo from flowerofthemoon profile in Tumblr

Although it has functions similar to a Dating Simulator, the only similarity it has is the Dialogue tree, a game mechanic where the player is given a choice of what to say and makes subsequent choices up until the conversation ends—widely used throughout various adventure games and role-playing games if I say so myself. But surprisingly, in Twisted-Wonderland, it does not have any serious consequences if you think that you’ve chosen the wrong one—the answers of the characters do differ per choice. Another thing that separates it from Dating Simulators is that there is no romance at all—sad, I know—and the protagonists does not have a specific gender, but it is heavily hinted that they are male due to the release of their manga (Japanese comic) Twisted-Wonderland the Comic: Episode of Heartslabyul and the fact that the school is an All-Boys School.

Cover page of the first volume of Twisted-Wonderland the Comic: Episode of Heartslabyul

The game mechanics of Twisted-Wonderland is quite simple for those who plans to play the game since it is a Rhythm and Magic Battle game that depends on the flow of the story, like when the protagonist and A-Deuce combo (a nickname a senior gave for the characters Ace and Deuce) chased after Grim since he decided to ditch class since he found it boring—saying he was a “great wizard” and should be learning spells instead. A music plays around the background as they ran around the school yard for Grim and depending on the difficulty of the rhythm game, there will be faster notes and harder notes to hit.

There are three types of rhythm mode: the timed rhythm where you wait until the countdown goes to one, the normal tap-hold rhythm game where you tap the screen when the icon is close and the one where I call half-screen where you tap the left then the right depending on where the icon is heading—red on the right and blue on the left.

Upper picture is the timed, middle is the normal, and the lower is the half rhythmic.

In battle mode, the players are only allowed to have turns to defeat the enemy and have four units with you along with a friend unit. Once all of the turns are used up, the winner will depend on which side has the highest health left or to whoever reaches zero first. There are a total of four main elements in the game: fire, water, grass, and special. The weaknesses of each opponent are very easy to know since there is long box on the side of the screen which indicates the elements of the opponent from the 1st and 2nd turns.

Knowing the weakness is quite easy: fire beats grass while grass beats water and water beats fire. The only exception to this weakness tringle is the special element which has neither a weakness nor a strength—a neutral element to be exact. This is used when you do not have the proper element to beat the opponent or is too weak for the element which is a good thing since you either have the elements but is too weak or just lack them. That is why I will be talking about how to level up your units and upgrade their powers.

Cards have rarity in the game, just like how in Fire Emblems Heroes where they have stars for each character which are easy to get unless you have enough orbs for re-rolls or like in Brave Frontier but has more than five-stars. There are three types of card rarity: rare (R) which specialize in defense only, super rare (SR) which specializes in both defense and offence; and super-super rare (SSR) which specializes on offense only. They are also a magic type: attacking magic that only SR and SSR can have and healing magic that SR and R cards can have.

To level up the cards, you have to attend History Lessons with the characters you want to raise on the Lesson icon to access but you can also do that on the Cards icon with the Flowering Nectars you got from the lessons which needs Madol—money to be exact— along with the unlocking their potentials, their magic level, and character episodes. It is quite difficult to meet all the requirements for Groovy which increases the ATK and HP but its all worth it since it makes my units stronger and unlock more stories faster.

Upon closer look at the game, I found that it has two defining game features that links it to popular games such as Genshin Impact, Fire Emblem Heroes or Honkai Impact: the gacha system and good voice actors. Sure, the game is not wallet friendly, but it does not mean you actually have to use your money—just save up the gems to get the characters you really want. Voice actors, on the other hand, are just so perfect for their rule that they basically are the character themselves which is noticeable the more you play the game as well as unlock the character stories which made me fall for the game even more.

True, that it is sometimes difficult on resisting the temptation to buying the items needed to roll for good characters since the game is really good, but that can warded easily if you remember the blood, sweat, and tears when collecting the materials to level up and strengthen your characters.

After hearing the announcement of the upcoming English release of the game, the problem I had about it being a Japan exclusive game vanished since there were a handful of time that I had a hard time reading the Japanese words on the game. Luckily, before that, there were YouTube channels that translate the game into English. I just hope that they don’t release a dubbed version—not that I have anything against English voice actors or something. I just think that the Japanese voice actors did an exceptional job in showing the characters personalities and would prefer if they kept it in that way. Though, an option in the setting on which language you would have them speak would be a great alternative for those who don’t like it in English.

I have played many games in my life which includes gacha games. There were ones that have boring fight animation and awful typography despite having good art but there are also those like Fire Emblem Heroes who completely build a new storyline yet follow the original games fight animation but in this case, they have their own special animation when they use their ultimate ability unlike the original where they just show a portion of their face then attack. I preferred that type of gacha games up until I played the game. It does not have the features of Fire Emblem where you tap the character and choose where they should be placed but instead, you just pick which character you are going to use, and the battle will automatically begin—a better option for me who is quite lazy.

It made me feel nostalgic—old even. It made me remember the Disney movies that I used to love and watch all the time when I was left alone at home especially the movie Little Mermaid, Lion King, and the Sleeping Beauty. Those moments were precious as it was what made me truly take the course I am studying now despite my lack of talent in art. It was interesting and marvelous at the same time on how they are able to create art through moving papers that then evolved to technology which is faster and helpful for the animators. Throughout my time playing the game, it made me remember the time when I did not have to worry about how we should present ourselves to the world and just worry about the chores our mother gave us, it made me feel the curiosity I had and the various moments I was scolded for experimenting on things on the yard—using dry leaves to boil the water I placed in a small clay pot my deceased grandfather gave me. It was all fun and all until grandmother comes, telling you to stop.

It may seem like an ordinary game with a Disney name that parents find childish, but actually tackles a problem that some children have experienced in their life such as parents that are too controlling, parents that have too many expectations, parents that compares you with someone, people that judge you for what you look like or those that are bullying someone because of their appearance—something that we all talk but later forget. We, although we do not notice it, sometimes create what people are today that’s why we should think carefully to what we are saying and doing. This may be a simple game with great voice actors, amazing visuals, and exceptional story but we shouldn’t forget the times that we had fun in our childhood and what shaped us to what we are today, whether it be something bad or good because those are lessons that we can pass to others which they could learn from—just like how we learned from them.

Works Cited

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Satilinethejay. (2021, September 26). Youtube. Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29E9YwzTk68

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Twisted Wonderland Wiki. (2021). Retrieved from Fandom: https://twisted-wonderland.fandom.com/wiki/Guidebook/Rhythmic

Twisted Wonderland Wiki. (2021). Retrieved from Fandom: https://twisted-wonderland.fandom.com/wiki/Guidebook#Card_

Twisted Wonderland Wiki. (2021). Retrieved from Fandom: https://twisted-wonderland.fandom.com/wiki/Octavinelle

Photos do not belong to me but to their respectful owners.