#ZAZU

[thatlioninthecorner]

Don’t know if anyone’s done this before but-

Why this mf catching birds in flight class

[milich96]

We have an idea of the background this time!

Og post and the old 2 entries of the serie

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

So, with the end of the Platinum Jacket series, what are your thoughts on it as a whole? Also, what would you want to see as a birthday series?

… Now that it’s all said and done, I can finally confess that I don’t like the Platinum Jacket series 💀 The suits are a lot of white and grey, so the designs don’t really stand out (especially on a similar colored background with similar painting frames). The silvery eyeshadow looks good on some characters while washing others out. It’s just overall not a good look to me. Honestly, I dislike that they tied the whole thing to Disney 100 too since 1) I do not enjoy super blatant references to The Mouse irl as someone who’s cynical about the corporation and 2) it dates the Platinum Jackets; by the time they come to EN, it won’t be Disney’s 100th year anymore www

I also find the vignettes so incredibly boring. I feel like we don’t get any substantial new lore or interesting opinions from them. I would LOVE to hear more about Twisted Wonderland’s distorted history and even more details about how the boys view certain historical figures. The paintings get to show characters beyond the Great Seven, such as Zazu, Pain, Panic, etc. and I wanted way more insight into the historical roles they played. I also wanted for them to show more variety in the paintings, not limit themselves to just the G7 and associated characters. We know figures (from other Disney 2D movies) like Frollo, Gideon, and Honest John exist in Twisted Wonderland, on top of stories like that of Mulan, so why not use this as a chance to expand on them?? The best we get from vignettes are slightly funny stories about mundane stuff the characters get caught up in when, really, they should have capitalized on the Disney 100 theme and talked extensively about history, its impact/legacy, and how the boys think about the past they were built up from. They sort of do that, but I felt like only in a very surface level way where every opinion reads as very similar to the last. Massive wasted opportunity, if you ask me.

The main saving grace of the Platinum Jackets were the absolutely unhinged (for the most part) Groovies 😭 I love how we get to see the boys pull all kinds of wicked expressions we don’t normally see on them; the artists’ skills really come through. It’s also just immensely funny to think about being a random ass museum employee or another visitor walking by and catching some high school student lookin’ like they’re about to commit murder on a painting.

I don’t really care what the next birthday line is, I just want it to do two things: be decent-looking formal wear and actually provide interesting lore 😭

[themischievousronster]

Don't mind me just combining the stuff I'm crazy abt

This is so stupid /pos

[julia-beatrice]

Designing Zazu was hard at first, but then I realised he is voiced by Rowan Atkinson, so I took inspiration from the Mr Bean cartoon

[puppetdaily]

Zazu from The Lion King on Broadway

[twistedtummies2]

Neji vs. Kifaji

This is something I haven't seen posted about yet, so I might as well take it upon myself. XD

In the original Japanese version of "Twisted Wonderland," during the Cloudcalling/Tamashina-Mina Event, the Zazu-based character we meet is named "Kifaji." It's indicated that he basically raised Leona and his brother, and as a result - unlike with Scar and Zazu - the two don't seem to actually HATE each other, although they still snipe at one another, as you would likely expect.

In the recent English release, however, the character has been renamed "Neji." Naturally, I was confused by this. There's nothing inherently wrong with the name, but...why change it? It's the first time we've really had a major name change like that: other characters have slightly different spelling, usually just due to translation differences ("Falena" vs. "Farena"), but this is the first time I know of where the name has been TOTALLY changed. Well...I did a bit of digging, and I think I figured it out. It turns out that the word "Kifaji" is a Swahili word...for some form of food. I should point out that there are actually SEVERAL words that can mean variations on food and mealtimes in Swahili...and apparently, "kifaji" is among those options.

Ohhhhh, you sneaky, sneaky Japanese fiends. XD

Naturally, I can understand why the English version would change this, since Leona and Kifaji don't APPEAR to have the same particularly dangerous animosity in their relationship...although I will admit, once you learn that fact, EVERYTHING about those two becomes SO much more hilarious. XD So, what about "Neji"? Well, to be honest, so far I haven't found a satisfactory answer as to why that's the name that was chosen for a replacement. It doesn't SEEM to be a word in Swahili at all, at least as far as I can tell. I DID find that the word "neji" in Japanese appears to mean "screw," as in the piece of hardware you might use to build a cabinet or something. If that's where the name comes from, your guess is as good as mine why THAT'S what they chose. :P Regardless, while I don't have any real problems with the name "Neji" on principle...I'm just gonna keep calling this character "Kifaji" in the future. Because now that I know what I know, there is no way I'm calling him ANYTHING else. >:)

A quick note, following all this: I should state that I don't tend to rag on the translations in the NA release of Twisted Wonderland the way a lot of people do. Most of the time I don't have any major problems with it, and on occasion I actually think they do some things better than the original. (Heretical blasphemy, I know.) However, when the translation DOES show its flaws...yeah, it REALLY shows its flaws. LOL

[frie-ice]

At first I was going to do a collage that would only focus on Cheka and the Lion King character he is modelled after, young Simba, but after I learned that we were given a new TLK based character for the Sunset Savanna event, I decided to feature who characters in one collage. The new character I mentioned is named Neji (Kifaji on the JP server) and as you can seen is based upon Zazu. If Farena, Mufasa's TWST counterpart made a appearance in the game and event too, I would have added him and Mufasa to the collage as well. As we are dying to know what Farena looks like.

This Disney Twisted Wonderland collage is part of a series that showcase the parallel comparisons between the original TWST characters with the classic Disney villain characters (or trademark items) that they are based on upon and inspired from. In which has those Twisted Wonderland characters be seen as the TWST counterparts of those Disney characters. I got the idea for this series after seeing Tumblr posts of the TWST Housewardens and Vice-Housewardens being featured beside the original Disney characters that they represent, and I didn't want to limit myself to the Dorm Heads and overblot victims, but also for the other TWST characters.

[scientistservant]

original template by @strawberry-selfships

[the-hourglass83]

Don't mind me, just drooling over these 30th Anniversary Lion King treats at the Disney parks. Very cool to see so much love for Zazu! 💙

[jf-madjesters1]

Too many monsters.

[sukalaap]

Smiling Subjects

This monstrosity has been created. You're welcome.

[milich96]

Do u see my vision?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi! I will bake a meat cake, it’s decided. To tell you the truth, it was the first flavor that came to my mind, but I was reluctant. But after talking to you, I steeled myself to bake it! Thank you! Could you answer two of my questions? I was reading your posts about Leona and something caught my attention, does he really have a fanclub made by Savanaclaw students? And do they really call him boss? The other thing on my mind is if like, real lions, wolfs and all the other animals exist in Twisted wonderland, not just lion beastman and all the others, sorry if it is confuse and a dumb question!

[Referencing this post!]

You’re making the meat cake a reality… 🍖 🎂 I am a bad influence 💀 Good luck with it!

No, Leona doesn’t have a fan club. Various underclassmen do look up to him, just not in a formally organized manner. 😅 I think the only student who have fan clubs are technically Malleus (the “Draconians”, as they’re called) and Vil, on account of his status as a celebrity.

The Savanaclaw mob students tend to refer to Leona by first name, his dorm leader title, or both. The stereotype in animanga is for “gruff” or delinquent characters to refer to their boss or figures they respect as “big bro”, “aniki”, or “boss”, so I think that’s probably where the expectation comes from? In fact, I’m pretty sure some Savanaclaw mob students start calling Vil aniki after he demonstrates his strength to them in Happy Beans Day 2.

“Real” animals do coexist with beastmen. Leona cites animals as being the ancestors of his kind. Furthermore, we see plenty of depictions of these animals. Three big clusters I can think of right away are in Silver’s Ceremonial Robes Groovy, Sunrise City’s central fountain, and Harveston Sledathon (as the enchanted plushies are based on different animal builds):

If you want a really clear-cut example of regular animals and beastmen, birds are clearly A Thing; you can see them in Silver’s Groovy above and in other places like his Broomquet Groovy:

And bird beastmen are also A Thing. Kifaji (or Neji, as EN has localized it) says he is a bird beastman. That makes it clear: animals and beastmen of the same kind exist at the same time.

That makes sense, because what the heck is a “bird” or a “lion” beastman if you don’t know what a “bird” or a “lion” is to begin with? It should also be noted that Twisted Wonderland makes reference to actual animals in their history; two examples of this are the King of Beasts (who is always depicted as a “real” lion) and the “hornbill advisor” (Zazu).

[priderock-inc]

Welcome to Pride Rock Incorporated!

Welcome to Pride Rock Incorporated: a human!AU of The Lion King where the circle of business never ends, and the only thing getting trampled is the competition.

Featuring:

Mufasa, the charismatic CEO, whose roars in board meetings are the only things louder than his impeccable (or, depending on who you ask, atrocious) tie collection.

Scar, the ambitious VP, whose scheming mind is as sharp as his wardrobe, turning every boardroom into a stage for his dramatic power plays.

Sarabi, Mufasa's efficient secretary (and beloved wife), who handles the chaos with grace, effortlessly managing schedules and reigning over the office like the queen she is.

Zazu, the slightly uptight chief advisor, who embodies punctuality and protocol, bringing order one morning report at a time.

Rafiki, the mysterious head of HR, who weaves the threads of office harmony with a touch of enigmatic wisdom.

Timon and Pumbaa, the happy and hapless IT duo, bug-squashers extraordinaire whose motto is "Hakuna Ma-data" until the server crashes yet again.

Simba, Mufasa's curious 7-year-old with a penchant for exploring, who turns the office into his personal playground and treats every memo as a canvas for crayon masterpieces.

And more!

Questions or requests for headcanons or fics are always welcome (:

My main blog is @reine-du-sourire.

Confession time: This entire escapade originated from a series I'm crafting on AO3, in which Scar turns up the charm dial to eleven and flirts incessantly with Zazu while Zazu fails spectacularly in his attempt to remain unflustered.

WIP list that you may feel free to bother me about actually finishing:

-karaoke night

-Simba and Nala coming after school and discovering The Graveyard (janitor's closet)

-Business lunch with HathiCorp

-Subsequent hotel shenaniganry

-Scar's foray into Shenzi's makeup channel

-Team-building exercise at the rock wall

-Simba gets ahold of the PA

-Mufasa institutes "Casual Fridays"

-Business networking dinner at a fancy hotel

-Scar and Zazu find themselves stuck in an elevator during a power outage

-The gang heads to the Triton Royale

-Photo shoot

-Bring Your Parents To Work Day

@onemeh asks for:

-Mufasa and Iago bonding. Considering Iago's last boss was less than ideal, I'd love to see that dynamic

-Scar and Mufasa. Just a bit of bantering/hanging out/not having to deal with family trauma for one second, please and thank you (here's one! Here's another!)

-Shenzi, Banzai and Ed hanging out. Maybe a brief Scar cameo. (With a bit of luck, the house won't even end up on fire at the end.)

-This one taps into Hurt/Comfort a bit but maybe Zazu comforting Scar (or maybe the aftermath of that? That would also be an amazing read), since I believe there was only the Elevator Incident and we've seen it happen a few times the other way around? And they have definitely gotten a bit closer since that.

-Simba in the office again. Being courious about anything and everything, even Zazu's paperwork. Anything with him is bound to be tooth rotting fluff.

-Lastly, Scar using Zazu's greek name more often, now that he knows it trips him up.

[aphrmoosun]

"Mufasa: The Lion King."

(DEC 20/2024)