#twst ramble

[c-a-e-l-a]

Preliminary thoughts on Leona’s advice for Jamil, his perception on Kalim, and the Scarabia development implied in Chapter 6′s ending. (AKA "A Pathetic Attempt at a Scarabia Essay”)

I think I am speaking for all of us when I say that Chapter 6 has, by far, been the most interesting and satisfactory Twst arc. Ever. I don’t know where to begin in describing it, honestly, but I think you would understand once you get to read it for yourself. 

I’ll mostly be focusing on the topics I stated above, but this post will still be laden with spoilers for Chapters 4, 5, and 6, so if you aren’t up for Scarabia-centric spoilers, please skip this post!

SCARABIA PRE-CHAPTER 6 (I)

In this section, I’ll be talking about the dynamic between Jamil and Kalim over the course of Chapter 4 & 5, as well as a few of their interactions in relevant personal stories. I’ll start with the latter.

(Source: Jamil’s Dorm Uniform SSR Vignette)

It is a universally known truth that...Jamil has zero trust in leaving things up to Kalim. And we can’t really blame him---with the way they used to be, he couldn’t leave Kalim alone, nor could he rely on him to do something he’d been expected to do. 

(Source: Jamil’s Ceremonial Robes SR Vignette)

(Source: Jamil’s School Uniform R Vignette)

Many occurrences have been more than enough proof of that, and those few moments wherein Kalim actually was reliable paled in comparison to these negative instances. As such, it has so happened that, to the surprise of no one, Jamil has made a habit out of taking responsibility after responsibility and sparing Kalim none of it----adding further onto his contempt towards him and Kalim’s own ignorance to Jamil’s difficulties.

(Source: Book 4, Chapter 37: The Magic Dispelled)

This has something to do with how, generally speaking, Jamil has always viewed Kalim too negatively. His frustration isn’t unfounded, of course, but he’s closed off his mind to the prospect of Kalim ever becoming more than what he already made him out to be---when in fact, Kalim is more than willing to become someone Jamil can rely on.

So, there. Jamil’s perception of Kalim hasn’t been the best...and naturally, it won’t change immediately. These are years and years of grudges we’re talking about, after all. It even reaches to the extent that in Episode 5-34, Jamil tells Epel that, “If he himself is laughing, then it’s probably not that heavy” when the latter mentions that Kalim was laughing despite talking about a traumatizing topic and sharing about the reason why he strives to keep living.

Jamil seems to view Kalim precisely for the first thing he sees of him, and not for what possibly lies behind all of his cheer.

Regardless...

(Source: Book 5, Episode 5-9, Translation by Shel_Bb)

There have been cracks in that perception of his. He’s beginning to see facets that he’d failed to consider...

(Source: Book 5, Episode 5-34, Translations by Shel_Bb)

...facets of Kalim that he struggles to acknowledge...

(Source: Book 5, Episode 5-30, Translations by Shel_Bb)

...and facets of Kalim that he will only continue to realize.

SCARABIA PRE-CHAPTER 6 (II)

This part will discuss Jamil and Kalim’s respective character development after Chapter 4! I’ll start with Kalim’s.

As depicted in the set of photos directly above this section, one of Kalim’s most prominent realizations is that “he has never achieved anything if it weren’t for Jamil.” For all these years, he never believed that anything should be rightfully his...but at the same time, it never crossed his mind that all the acclaim he’d received happened not because he earned it, but because of who he is.

This realization frustrated him, and this spurred into him doing his best to stand by Jamil as equals. Borrowing my own captioning in Kalim’s TV Tropes page: 

He becomes more considerate of others as the main story plods on, and he strives to exert more effort to make up for all the times he “achieved” something despite not deserving it. He is also more likely to take action when he notices something is wrong, thus resulting in his meddling with Vil’s attempt at Neige’s life, unlike before when it’s implied he knew about Jamil’s hardships but didn’t do anything about it until it was too late.

The Kalim that we all see post-Chapter 4 is the Kalim that does his best to be more than what he used to be. This is the version of him that’s trying to become more independent of Jamil, slowly but surely...and while this implies for Jamil’s workload to be lessened, this development turns out to stress out Jamil all the more, as he still can’t trust Kalim to do anything by himself. We’ll get to more on this later.

Jamil’s post-Chapter 4 character development consists of him stepping up for himself more. He no longer lets the social hierarchy stop him from showing his potential---but that fact alone isn’t enough to prove that the mindset he’d always held still doesn’t affect him. Jamil is still in the midst of breaking free from the way he’s been taught to behave...and a part of him still views Kalim as someone he can never overcome.

(Source: Book 5, Episode 5-24, Translations by Shel_Bb)

Jamil is a rather contradictory character, as it is often that his wants and his actions differ from one another. For instance: he wants acknowledgment and acclaim, but shies away the moment someone begins to praise him. He says that he knows Kalim is no match for him if it weren’t for his parents, and yet he subconsciously doubts that the sort of charisma Kalim has over their dormmates is something he can’t easily replicate.

When Vil assigns him as one of their group’s lead singers during the Pomefiore arc, Jamil instinctively declines it at first, in favor of Kalim, before stopping himself and accepting it. The beliefs his parents taught him are ingrained in him that deeply, and just as he perceives Kalim as someone who is always above him, he can’t easily overcome this mindset of his, too... At least, not until Leona’s advice.

LEONA’S PERSPECTIVE AND ADVICE

Although the available translations currently haven’t touched on this, the last part of the main story update certainly introduced good development between these unlikely pairs of characters: Leona & Jamil, and Azul & Riddle. This part won’t be as specific as the other sections because I’m just writing this based on what I know, but I hope I still get my point across. Azul and Riddle will have their separate ramble, they’re giving me so much brainrot rn.

(Source: Jamil’s School Uniform R Vignette)

Even before their interactions in Chapter 6, Jamil has always been wary of Leona, as the Savanaclaw Dorm Leader was one of the few students who could very easily see through the facade he consistently put up. 

This same dynamic applied to their alliance as partners in hunting down the Ice Phantom---with Jamil initially being hesitant over partnering up with him---except that in that current instance, Jamil seemed to be insistent on “protecting” Leona, much to the latter’s chagrin.

Jamil believed that he had to prioritize Leona’s safety amid this situation because he is the secondborn prince of the Sunset Savannah. This “overprotectiveness” was something Leona found unnecessary, and he didn’t take it well whenever Jamil prioritized his life over his own self. He thought Jamil was making too much of a big deal out of this.

This resulted in many arguments and fights between the two, and...yeah, they fought so much I forgot the exact arrangement for what happened...but, at one point, Jamil winds up in an outburst of emotion, and he laments that no one would ever understand where he’s coming from, anyway. Leona begs to disagree.

Leona says that he gets the gist of Jamil’s situation. He also adds that he knows Jamil is better than he initially let on, and explains precisely what Kalim has that Jamil doesn’t.

“...Charisma?”

“No, he’s got money.”

That conversation above is non-verbatim, by the way, lol. 

But what Leona meant to say, as a whole, was that Kalim had money and knew how to use it. Jamil was understandably baffled by this...but on my part, it made me realize how different others’ perspective on Kalim’s actions could be.

As players, we all know Kalim does most of the things he does because he’s a genuinely good person. We have the privilege to get a look-see into their character stories, after all. But to people like Leona, they see it differently. 

The renovation at Scarabia, the banquet they held for Crowley, the banquet Kalim held at the cafeteria, Kalim donating his share on the prize money to Ramshackle Dorm... We know and believe that Kalim did this out of the good of his own heart, but Leona sees it as a strategic expense of money.

It betters Kalim’s reputation, it gives chances for establishing useful connections...and many more. Of course, that doesn’t mean those are actually the motives behind what he did. It’s just interesting how others perceive these actions of kindness as something far more strategic, and it really makes one think about how much thought is actually put into every single one of those  monetary decisions, rather than them just being bouts of spontaneity.

As Leona states further on, people like Kalim usually go for their instincts right from the get-go. It might seem foolish, at first, but the conviction Kalim gives in every decision he makes is what what makes up for that said "foolishness."

If he thinks something is useful, then he'll go for it.

If he thinks that saying this is the right thing to say to a certain person, then he'll say it.

If this plan doesn't work out, then he'll just think up something else and try again.

Be it because of years of exposure to his family's business, or the socializing skills he'd gained from hosting banquets and being a people person in general, or the innate kindness that just shines from within him, Kalim, while still unpolished, had always possessed the qualities one would search in a leader. On the other hand, Jamil had been so desperate for independence that he'd made a habit of dealing with things on his own, making him incredibly capable...but also alienating him from his peers. He'd become so used to dealing with things solo that he failed to discover that there's more to being a leader than just being capable: the ability to inspire, convince, and empathize with others, the ability to know when & how to adjust to different kinds of people you'd end up working with, and how to lead them. Jamil has none of that, and he realizes this once Leona calls him out on it.

I have a lot more to say, but the bottomline is that: In Leona’s eyes, Kalim is already making use of his favorable qualities---his charisma, his wealth, etc.---and he’s imploring Jamil to do the same. To find what he’s best at and invest in it, rather than wallow in his closed mindset that’s been ingrained in him since young.

And that’s good advice, made especially more credible with the fact that it came from Leona, someone who understands the complexity of the hierarchy and Jamil’s situation. Jamil is shown to be thankful for this, and he admits that he has viewed Kalim and everyone else to be better than him subconsciously; this led to him holding everyone in contempt, believing that he could do better than them if he just had a chance to show his potential, despite never taking the stand to showcase said potential, anyway. He aims to fix his mindset from now on. And afterwards, Leona... He whispers to himself that Jamil better do that. 

Because at the end of the day, he and Jamil are different, and with this, Jamil at least won’t end up like him.

SCARABIA DEVELOPMENT (After two years of waiting, we Scarabia stans have won...)

Okay.

Okay so.

The, uh, the glomp.

Kalim.. about to hire the best doctors to check upJamil..

And the.

“Really... I never thought the day would come that I’d feel relieved to see your face.”

AND JAMIL ASKING KALIM TO GET OFF OF HIM AND KALIM SAYING HE CAN’T BECAUSE HIS RELIEF OVER JAMIL BEING OKAY MADE HIS LEGS FEEL WEAK

AND HIM TATTLING ABOUT HOW JADE SAID SMTH ABOUT THEM POSSIBLY BEING DEAD AND HE LOOKED SO ANGY LIKE >:000000

THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DECENT ANALYSES POST BUT IM SORRY I AM NOT GOD’S STRONGEST SOLDIER I CANNOT I JUST CANNOT

AHEM.

Anyway.

Later, Kalim offered to help Jamil cut a tart while they’re at Ramshackle. Jamil told him to just sit there because he’ll take care of it...but then he reconsidered it, and said that he can at least get everyone a dish and a fork.

Such a small act is already so indicative of the development we’ve longed for years to see...and I think it’s pretty self-explanatory at this point how important it is that Jamil is now willing to accept Kalim’s help. He's acknowledged that shouldering all the burden by himself won't do him any good, and that by opening himself up to others, he can be able to discover more chances to heighten his potential. It’s a small step. It’s such a small step, and yet it matters oh so much. They’re learning to have a healthier relationship, bit by bit :”)))

[crow-stars]

i suddenly remembered this game i played in my childhood called epic mickey and read the story of the game. first off, man i miss playing that game, it was such a blast playing when i was a kid, but i never finished it. second off, i find it amusing (or maybe just a happy coincidence) that the main monster is called the blot that takes the form of a big inky monster. my brain wants to connect it to twisted wonderland, but i know it's not super related to twst, but it still got me going "wait, blot?!" anyway, i should be off working on my crow!yuu stuff, see ya!

[keyenuta]

Twst Fans: Let's all calm down

Spoilers for Book 5 in Twst En~

Let's all take a deep breath: Ok, so by now we've all heard the news about what was cut in twsten. This song and rhythm section were removed from twst en's third part of ch5. I get everyone is scared or worried about the future of twsten like "what if they take this out next" or. "What else will they censor or do differently" etc etc. And for that I have to say everyone let's take a breath and calm ourselves. This is, and will most likely be the only large cut from the game if the situation behind the scenes cannot be fixed. Because in all honesty, up until this moment, nothing changed or was so egregiously cut out like this. For literally 7 months nothing this major had happened. Every update was mostly the same as it's original, bar some small localization and translation mishaps. So for people who are worried it's a sign for things to come please calm down. If this was a thing they wanted to do, they would have done much more than this a lot earlier. And it would have been a consistent occurrence, not a random moment where we have no context. Which brings me into-

-We have no context: At the moment there is lots of speculation about why the song, and any mention of it were cut out. And that's the thing, it's speculation and guessing! We aren't in aniplex or Disney and we have no idea why or what has happened. Because like I said above, before this nothing was removed like this ever in the game's 7 month life span. And i very much doubt the devs would have wanted to spend the tedious amount of time it is to scrub the song clean from their product. But, as I agree we deserve to know what happened, which brings me into-

Transparency transparency transparency: I would love to see them be more transparent about this change as well. To at least calm fears and give us an explanation or update on why something like this was removed. But as justified as this feeling is, let's not jump off the handle and spam their Twitter or every post they make about where is the song. Remember the social media manager is a human being and has no power to let us know what is happening. A better solution is to go to this, and give a respectful message about why we want the song back, and or why we would like some answers. And speaking of which, remember while doing this: Yelling their ears off and acting like a wild mob will do the absolute opposite effect of making them more transparent, or even wanting to listen to what we have to say. These are human beings and we can act respectful to people without going crazy.

Let's not doompost: I get the situation can be scary or worrisome, but we have to remember we shouldn't doom post or act too toxic about this situation. This is important, yes, but let's not work into a frenzy to the point where we ruin the game for new players by saying the game is finished, or i'm going to jp. Or any other thing that really won't solve our issues. And although I haven't seen it, and hope to God I never do, let's not act wild to eng only fans who are enjoying themselves. Let's simply show them the clip and be calm about it.

Final ramble: And just as my final thoughts about this, we literally know nothing about why this has happened. Or why we have received no news, I personally think it has something to do with copy right laws and general legal shenanigans. But those are my random ideas, for now all I can say is let's be patient and see where this goes. And lastly:

[ventique18]

This has so much impact when you've read Book 7 actually 😭

[moonlightequin1]

✨💫 TWST JP "ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL" FULL 3D PERFORMANCE 💫✨

I needed to share this video because it was region locked for this year's April Fools, but we finally got the full performance of the VDC tribe in TWST FES last year....😭🫶

WE WON EVERYONE 🎉🎊

LOOK AT THEM!!! 😭🎉🎉

[rayroseu]

"Because i want you to live a long and happy life"

[artdolliewishes]

My favorite brand of “Yuu/everyone” style of fanart and fanfics is when Yuu is literally just some person™ who showed up on accident and can’t go back.

They’ve got no dramatic backstory, no notable accomplishments, they may not even have a notable design, but they’ve got nearly two dozen of this world’s most interesting people wrapped around their finger without even realizing it; maybe more if you include some of the RSA students and the events exclusives like Rollo and Fellow Honest.

Even better if Yuu, despite all this, is still somehow out of their league. Like and subscribe if you agree.

[blanketorghost]

Octomer Baby Development: A guide for new parents (Part 1)

Parenthood can be as fulfilling as it is challenging, and for new parents, this may seem like a daunting task to make. But with the help of this handbook, you will be walked over all there is to know about the newest member of your family and how to take care of them.

PHASE 1—THE EGG:

0-2 months:

The egg has just been laid. Roughly about the size of a bead. Though coloring may vary, most octomer eggs look transluscent with a bright colored center, in which the embryo is located.

Unlike octopuses, octomers only lay one or two viable eggs per mating cycle. This greatly increases their life expectancy as their digestive system no longer shuts down inlieu of producing viable eggs. Octomer eggs, like most marine life eggs, are extremely fragile and squishy. Parents often create a small nest out of weaved kelp, sea cucumbers, and soft live coral. These are not only meant to cushion the egg, but the toxic tendrils of the live coral help protect their precious offspting from predators.

Another difference to Otopus eggs, is their shspes. Since Octomer eggs aren't hung on the ceiling of an underwater cave, they lack that telltale teardrop shape most octopus eggs are known for, instead taking a more spherical form.

3-5 Months:

On this stage, the egg is about the size of a ping pong ball. Eyes and a mouth start to look visible and the embryo's body starts to develop the octomer's signature 8 arms. Though poor, their sight and hearing will develop and the embryo will start reacting to sounds and light. It is recommended parents start talking to the egg to incentivize development.

It is common for octomer parents to carry their egg around in small pouches or bags so the embryo can be stimulated by outside sounds and light fluctuations at different sea levels.

5-7 months:

Most of the octomer's body is fully developed at this point and sex can be determined by the lack or prescence of a hectocotylus. The outer membrane of the egg also starts to lose color and become more fragile as the embryo absorbs more nutrients. The egg is about the size of a billiard.

At this point, it is not recommended to move the egg, as it could possibly harm the delicate shell and cause premature hatching.

7-9 months:

After absorbing all the nutrients from the egg, the octomer baby is expected to pip and hatch around this time. The outer layer is expected to be completely transluscent as all nutrients have been absorbed, and instead all coloration has been transfered to the newly hatched baby.

At this stage, their chromatophores aren't fully developed, and as such, most octomers at this stage only have light pale coloration alongside freckles or marks reminiscent of their specific species. Octomer babies have also not developed the ability to create water jets, and due to their small size— around the size of a baseball— can be swept by ocean currents. This is why, most octomer babies will be constantly in the care of their parents up until they've reached 24 inches or 61.4 cms in size.

[crystallizsch]

i really like how canonically yuu is genuinely supportive of grim wanting to be a great mage. if i recall correctly, even character voice lines point this out. and it seems like yuu dotes on grim a lot and defends him too??? yuu even encourages grim's ambitions whenever he declares wanting to be a great mage. and also when he does that boss-henchhuman dynamic. i mean yeah you can interpret it as yuu saying that being condescending and sarcastic as if they're talking to a child saying "when i grow up i want to be famous!" but like. i really think they're genuine when mc loves grim in their own way.

even if grim is usually a menace, he's become like family to yuu.

and i'm pretty sure grim feels the same way.

think about it this way. despite all the mess, all the unpredictability, the danger, and all the drama being in nrc. what's always the constant? yuu goes home at the end of the day to the ramshackle dorm (basically their home at this point considering they slowly but surely fix it up over time) and with who? “the great mage” grim. as the sole outcasts in that academy, they both sleep soundly knowing they will always have each other at the end of the day.

[ryllen]

sebek who refuses to wear anything but meticulous kind of dragon hoodie, and yuu who picks one that is as simple as it can get [🐈‍⬛]

[c-a-e-l-a]

thinking about...jamil admitting that kalim's not the only one he's held in contempt, as he also secretly hated everyone else bc he believed he'd be much better than them if he just had the chance to show his potential... he said he was always waiting for the right chance, the greatest opportunity, but in all actuality he just ended up never showcasing what he was capable of out of a mixture of skewed self-assuredness and denied fear.

jamil didn't hate kalim. he hated everyone.

he hated how unfair the world was, he hated how he was the only one who wasn't as "lucky." so he resorted to cowardly methods because he didn't think he could win otherwise. he kept to himself and avoided forming any lasting, meaningful relationship with anyone because he put himself at a pedestal above them; all while still looking down on himself more than anyone else ever did.

[...that last bit sounded awfully like leona.]

[cloudcountry]

hold on hold on i just came to the realization that fish do not sneeze.

imagine how BAMBOOZLED the octatrio would be when they hear you sneeze for the first time??? like human what was that. did you just eject a lung? are you okay??

azul would be immediately concerned, giving you the weirdest look. he hesitantly asks if you're okay, because you seem fine, but you just made the strangest noise he's ever heard and oh, is this a weird land dweller way of showing your affection? because you were pretty cute when you did that. oh, it's not...? well, now he's embarrassed!

jade is fascinated. don't let him find out about that sneezing power or pepper or ANY of that shit. he WILL use it against you. your sneezes are like little treats to this weirdo. he'll even become inclined to test those things on himself, to see just what sneezing feels like. he's genuinely surprised when it isn't painful? and that the face you make in instinctual? land dwellers are so fascinating.

floyd locks onto you. doesn't matter if he was in a mopey mood or pissing off riddle again, his eyes are wide and his pupils are dilated and he's staring at you. it doesn't matter if your sneeze is loud or quiet, he thinks it's so strange and so cute. hey, little shrimpy! what the hell was that and why did it sound so weird?

LIKE....THESE GUYS HAVE GILLS. THEY HAVEN'T HEARD A SINGLE PERSON SNEEZE UNTIL THEY CAME TO THE SURFACE. bc yk, sneezing requires lungs and nasal passages AND MERPEOPLE DONT HAVE THOSE UNLESS THEY TOOK THAT POTION TO BECOME HUMAN AND IM CRYING.

octatrio finds out what sneezing is real!!

i feel like i need to clarify that i know what sneezing is HELP ME@$@$$@$@?@!#?@!!@!# i just thought it would be a funny post i assure you guys i know people sneeze and that they probably would have been taught about it. this set of headcanons is not supposed to be taken as something that happened in canon, i just wrote it because I thought it would be goofy!!

[nem0-nee]

A guide for your mini eepy boy...

Hopping on the Twitter bandwagon bc this is so mcfucking CUTE.

[ventique18]

🐉🍼 in his baby dragon form crawls to his dad, limping.

🐉: "What happened to you?"

🐉🍼: *whimpers*

🐉: "Poor thing, did you sprain a limb? I've warned you not to try and fly outside my supervision. You are far too heavy for your tiny wings to keep up."

🐉🍼: *whines louder*

🐉: "Stay still while I fix you up. ... Though I suppose it would be a good idea to have you stay like this for an hour or two."

🌸: "Why are you so mean to him? He just wanted to fly."

🐉: "He needs to know of pain too. If he starts thinking that everything he does has little to no consequences, he might soon be charging off to his own death. If anything, he needs to learn this more than others lest he abuse his gifts."

🐉🍼: *Cries pathetically*

🌸: "Oh my poor baby... Oh, I know just the thing to make you feel better emotionally, at least."

🌸, bringing him ice and a small tub of ice cream: "A bit of ice on your limb and in your tummy will do you good!"

🐉🍼: *Starts dancing on his tippy toes*

🐉: "..."

🌸: "Oh, you're not injured."

🐉: "You actually dared to fool us for a snack?"

🌸, sarcastic: "Gee, I wonder where he got that from..."

🐉🍼: *Pretends to limp again*

🐉: "You little--"

In the end, baby didn't get the ice cream and was sentenced to jail time in his crib instead. Grim passed by and took pity on the kid, so they played rock paper scissors the whole while before he was inevitably released for dinner.

[sinfullyrosey]

[You were helping with deciding the prizes for the next croquet match by writing down the proceedings when Riddle decides to check your notes]

Riddle: Y/N, you’ve been writing in red ink! You’re supposed to write it in blue ink!

Y/N: Sorry, I’m colorblind.

Riddle: Oh, I’m terribly sorry for the misunderstanding. I’ll go find a blue inked pen for you then. *leaves rather embarrassed*

Trey: You’re colorblind?

Y/N: No, I just forgot the rule and didn’t want to get yelled at today.

Alternately, if you really are colorblind:

Trey: You’re colorblind?

Y/N: Yeah. Looking at your dorm is a nightmare.

[koneko-dreams]

Okay- Listen. Listen to me-

This,

With general/past Lilia x reader x Lilia(current)

AHHHHHHWJDWJRHSOAKSJG—