twistedminutia

[twistedminutia]

One under-appreciated breed of fic writer are the ones who hyperfocus on logistics to the exclusion of all canon shortcuts, and thus usually strike upon an awesome way to flesh out the worldbuilding or characters.

Like, I’m not necessarily talking realism here since often it’s still pretty far from realistic, but more like, “someone has to be running spies in this fantasy kingdom, and we’ve seen the whole royal court, so which background character is it? How does that change these three major interactions?” Or “real life historical nobility did in fact have some things to do that were like jobs, how does this human disaster cope with running an estate?” Or “there’s no reason for a sci-fi robot detective to know how to whitewater kayak, where’d she learn?” Or “if this guy is serving the emperor directly he has to be way high up in the space empire servant hierarchy, why is he doing this menial task for someone else? What’s his motive? Does he perhaps have the secret space telepathy?”

Anyway I’m always DELIGHTED to find a fic or writer who asks these questions because the fics themselves are universally bangers.

#I am kind of hoping #my fic does some of this

[twistedminutia]

Hi! This is a bit of an odd question, but if anyone would know, I assume it would be you after all of your character info compilations. What all do we actually know about summoning as a subject in Twisted Wonderland? Thank you!

Hello hello! Thank you for this question! ^^

From what I can tell, I think Idia's third birthday vignette is the most information we have ever received about the subject of summoning!

Riddle describes it as a difficult magic (Idia is the only one on the cast who considers it his best subject), and Idia compares it to playing video games: inputting commands within a time frame, completing objectives in a certain order, making trades with faeries and dire beasts, etc.!

An unnamed student mentions that summoning classes involve some manner of equipment, but not what, exactly--things seem very vague as of this post!

While looking for more insight I found a couple twstsoku threads from back when this card was first released, where commenters brought up some interesting points:

Does this include things like summoning souls from the Underworld? Summoning Cerberus? Will an ability to summon faeries tie into Book 7?

And what does this mean for Lucius? Trein introduces him as his familiar--is keeping Lucius in this dimension a constant drain on Trein's magic reserves, or does he not require any magical support once he's here? And how specific is summoning in this universe? Is it something like a gacha system? Does Deuce's cauldron ability count as a summon, or is that more of an apport?

We seem to have more questions than answers at the moment, and it is exciting to look forward to! :>

#my personal headcanon is that it kind of works like demon summoning in pop culture #you need a specific sigil or emblem and then specific components in the sigil to summon something specific #plus a correctly cast spell #and then you might need to bargain more if you want your summon to do something specific #but we still don’t know how familiars work totally either #like do you summon them or are they regular animals imbued with magic or both???? or neither??? or either????????

[twistedminutia]

Spreading my agenda that Ace Trappola might be the worst and best option for Heartslabyul's next housewarden

#I genuinely legitimately think Ace will be the next Heartslabyul housewarden #same as I think Epel Jack Sebek and Ortho will also be dorm leaders #Deuce will be vice and challenge Ace every now and then #maybe they trade off so often everyone is like ‘yeah we have two housewardens’

[twistedminutia]

A Million and One Minutia: Nuclear Weaponry

Read the previous chapters here: Ch. 1

Gray teaches the Heartslabyul upperclassmen about nuclear power and weaponry.

The school library is where I spend a majority of my time, much to Grim’s protests. I’m not exactly sure what irritates him so much about it- maybe it’s just the principle of the thing, because he naps most of the time anyway, and it’s more comfortable than Ramshackle. Fall has set in pretty firmly, and the dorm’s walls do not keep out the chill. The library is warm, comfy, and I don’t have to worry about a leaking ceiling if it rains.

It’s also the only place on campus I can get internet access from. I don’t have money for a phone, and even if I got one for free, I can’t pay for an internet plan. Crowley hems and haws whenever the subject comes up, so I’m not holding out hope. So. Library computers it is.

Naturally, the internet itself is recognizable, but weird. Like most things here. The search engines are different, but have a similar format to what I’m used to. The websites are different, but they’re clear analogues of websites back home. It’s at least intuitive to navigate, if a little strange.

Research provides me with some details, but the more I look at, the more incomplete it feels. I can’t explain it quite right, but it feels a little like trying to read a detailed fanfic for a series of movies you haven’t seen. I can intuit a lot of it, but then a website will casually mention something I don’t know about at all and I’m completely lost again.

I’m in the middle of trying to figure out if hippogriffs are real actual animals here or just some sort of cryptid when I hear footsteps nearby. I glance up at the right moment to make eye contact with Cater, who waves enthusiastically. Trey follows his gaze and gives me a wave of his own. They pause near me, and I nod at Riddle, who’s the last member in their little group. He nods back.

“How’s it going?” Trey asks. “Ramshackle’s all right? You’re getting enough to eat and sleep?”

Ever since Trey learned that I am not of this world, he’s been subtly momming me. It’s nothing too bothersome- just frequent questions about how I’m doing, if I need anything, if I’m taking care of myself all right. Usually it’s no big deal, though I did get an impressive lecture once when I’d been in such a hurry that I hadn’t brushed my teeth when leaving Ramshackle in the morning. Apparently, anyone in a leadership position at Heartslabyul has formidable scolding abilities.

Still, it’s not like I don’t appreciate the gesture. Not least of all because Trey has been slipping me baked goods. Keeping them away from Grim so that I can get even one bite has become a full-time job.

“Everything’s fine,” I say. “Are you here to get some studying done?”

“More or less,” Trey says. “Riddle and I are trying to get a study guide set up for the exams coming up, so the freshmen will have something to follow during the study groups.”

“I’m just here to snap some Magicam pics,” Cater says, holding his phone up to get a shot of himself against one of the bookshelves. “Dark academia is super trendy right now.”

“You’re going to study for exams and set up a guide to help other people study?” I ask, ignoring Cater to level a skeptical look at Riddle and Trey. “Don’t you ever give yourselves time to rest?”

“Of course. A certain amount of rest ensures that the brain is functioning at peak level,” Riddle huffs. “I have a half an hour of leisure before bed every night. And helping other people study is shown to be one of the most effective forms of learning and retaining information.” He draws himself up, heels clicking together. “I’m going to get the class textbooks for the basic freshmen courses.”

He heads off down the rows of bookshelves, heels clacking against the ground. I share a look with Trey. “He is actually doing okay, right?” I ask.

“I’ve been making sure he doesn’t push himself too hard,” Trey says. “Cater’s been helping keep things in order too.”             “Gotta keep the housewarden happy,” Cater agrees, thumbing through the photos he’s taken. I take the opportunity to sneak a glance at Trey’s bag. It’s gotten to the point where my mouth starts watering when Trey shows up. He’s completely Pavloved me. Assuming that Pavlov is still a thing in this universe. Probably not. I wonder what classical conditioning is called here. Probably just ‘classical conditioning.’

Trey catches me staring and shakes his head. “I gave you a dozen cookies three days ago.”

“Yeah, and I live with a furry black hole,” I say, jerking a thumb toward Grim. He rolls onto his belly, mumbling something indistinct.

Trey laughs. “Well, I don’t have any food on me.”

“Even if you did, you probably shouldn’t have it out here,” Cater says, glancing deeper into the library. “Riddle’s going to be back at any moment.”

Good point. Biggest, most well-known rule ever: don’t bring food into a library. “Oh, right,” I say. “I guess Riddle would go nuclear if he saw someone eating in here.”

I thought it was a fairly reasonable thing to say, but apparently not, because both Cater and Trey swivel toward me with identical looks of bewilderment. “What?” Cater says.

Oops. Maybe making fun of the housewarden is only for the people actually under his rule. Deuce and Ace never had a problem with it- though their relationship with Riddle is often contentious and they’re perhaps not the best examples to look toward for the appropriate treatment of housewardens. I shrink down in my seat. “Uh- Y’know, was just saying that he’d be pissed if we broke a rule- I didn’t mean anything by it, really- I guess I’ve just been around Ace and Deuce and they complain about him all the time so I thought-” You’re throwing your friends under the bus, stop talking! “It wasn’t an insult toward him or anything-”

Cater waves a hand. “No, I mean, what does ‘going nuclear’ mean?”

I pause, giving time for my scrambled brain to slip back on the tracks. “Wh- going nuclear?” I glance at Trey, but he’s clearly just as mystified as Cater. “You know. Blowing your top. Going ballistic. Freaking out. He would have gotten really mad.”

“Huh,” Trey says. “I’ve never heard that one before.”             “I guess it’s not a terribly common phrase,” I say.

“Nu-cle-ar,” Cater says, rolling the word around in his mouth. “Huh. Is that another word for angry in your world?”

“No,” I say, a little caught off guard. “You don’t know what nuclear means?”

Trey shakes his head. “I just said I’ve never heard of it before.”

“Yeah, but I thought you just meant in that context, not that you didn’t know what nuclear was.” I look at Cater, but he just shakes his head at me.

“What is it?” Trey asks, settling into a computer seat next to me. Cater perks up and leans in.

“W-well, it’s-” Uh. Crap. I know what nuclear means in a very general sense, but not enough to describe it with any sort of accuracy. My first instinct would be to look it up, but I’m not sure how useful that’s going to be- if Trey and Cater haven’t even heard of it, is it something they’ve even discovered here? ��Um. So. I only learned about this briefly once, so this maybe isn’t all that accurate. But I think it’s… some kind of atomic thing? Like, if something happens on an atomic level, then you get a substance that produces radioactivity, which can be really dangerous, and people use it for power and bombs and things…” I pause. Cater and Trey are just staring. “Okay, uh. Do you know what atoms are?”

Trey nods, but Cater just shrugs. “I never paid attention in science class. They’re really small, right?”

“Yeah, they’re the smallest substance. I think, if something happens to the nucleus, then you get radioactivity, which is a kind of dangerous energy that you can use for… some things, I think. X-rays are radioactive, and that’s why you have to use a lead blanket when you have them…” Cater and Trey are still staring at me like I’m speaking gibberish. In fairness, I barely understand what I’m saying. “I didn’t really pay attention in science class either, okay? I’m not very good at explaining this stuff.”             There’s the ‘click click’ of approaching heeled footsteps and Trey looks around me. “Hey, Riddle, do you know what nuclear means?”

I spin around in time to see Riddle placing a stack of books on the table next to him. He’s using magic to carry it, presumably because the stack is almost as tall as he is. It makes quite an impressive thump. “Yes. I’ve done some reading on nuclear physics, so I’m familiar with it, though I’ll admit it’s not a subject I’m all that interested in. Why?”

It figures that Riddle would casually bring up reading about nuclear physics. I bet he was reading science textbooks for fun at age six. “We were just talking about it,” I say. “I mentioned it and Cater and Trey didn’t know what it meant.”

“I’m not surprised,” Riddle says. He goes up on his tiptoes to reach some of the books at the top of the stack. His fingertips don’t quite touch the cover of the topmost book. “It’s- ugh- not a subject most people bother with.” He makes one final grab at the book, then gives up in the most dignified, I-meant-to-do-that way, and just magics it down. “I’m surprised you know about it, considering…” Riddle trails off, apparently realizing there’s no way out of that sentence that isn’t an insult. He clears his throat awkwardly. “Just. Considering.”

“Everyone knows about nuclear power where I come from. I mean, not everyone. But most people. There’s a big debate over whether or not we should use it for power right now, which freaks some people out, but-” I stop. Riddle is giving me the sort of horrified look usually reserved for when a person has a cockroach the size of a hot dog crawling up their back. “What?”

“You’re trying to use it for power generation?” he says, aghast. “Why? Nuclear materials are highly unstable and dangerous! It’s a fascinating hypothetical subject, but no one’s willing to put money into such a volatile substance, and certainly no one would agree to use it over magic-generated power.”

“Well, my world didn’t have magic,” I say a little sulkily. “We kind of had to make do.” Riddle frowns, looking vaguely disturbed. “It being dangerous is why there’s such a big debate over using it- no one wants to use a substance that could poison you near their homes, but it produces a lot of energy and it’s less harmful in the long term than things like oil. And people are careful with it. It’s not the same as getting power from a nuclear bomb or something.”             Riddle’s expression sours further. “A nuclear… bomb?”

“A bomb that utilizes the energy of a split atom or something. It’s supposed to be insanely powerful, and even if you don’t get blown up by it, it irradiates the surrounding area, and then that radiation makes people sick, so it’s a pretty effective weapon.” I grope for an appropriate metaphor. “It’s… um, it’s powerful enough that if you dropped one on NRC, the RSA would get hit by the shockwave. And it would probably give any survivors radiation sickness.”

“Woah,” Cater says. “Why would you make something like that?”

I shrug. “There wasn’t that good of a reason- it was made in a war that a lot of people were trying to win and it sort of… happened because people wanted a weapon that would end the war. But then people started making more of them, because everyone was scared of having it used on them, so they needed one of their own to protect themselves, and then everyone ended up with so many of them that they were an apocalyptic threat so no one could fire them. It all just sort of snowballed.”

“Huh,” Trey says. “That actually reminds me of the end of the war between the faeries and the humans.”

“Really?” Cater says. Trey swats him gently with a scrap piece of paper.

“Trein was just talking about it in class last week. Toward the end of the war, humans and faeries were using such destructive magic against each other that battlefields were tainted with blot and destroyed. The battles were almost always stalemates, and no one was winning anything. It’s one of the main reasons the peace negotiations started to gain some traction.”

Riddle nods. “There were other political reasons, of course, but that was where the biggest push for peace started. The first major act of human and faerie cooperation was restoring areas of land that were damaged by blot and magic.”

“Did it work?” I ask.

“For the most part- I think the Jupiter Corporation assisted heavily with the cleanup, and there are still a few areas that need restoration. But it’s largely healed now,” Riddle says.

“Then you’re doing better than we are,” I say ruefully. “You can’t really clean up radiation that way. Once it’s there, it’s there. The only thing you can do is wait until it fades naturally.”

“What does radiation do?” Cater asks. “Is it like blot?”

“It makes you sick, I think. There’s radiation in a lot of things, like sunlight- I think that’s why it can give you sunburns. But the kind of radiation the bombs used would make you sick. Deadly sick. That was one of the big concerns with them- even if people don’t die in the initial blast, the radiation would kill them off.” That and the nuclear winter, but I don’t mention that bit. All three of them look vaguely unsettled anyway.

“But that never happened,” Trey says, a little like he’s trying to reassure himself as well.

“No. And they decommissioned enough bombs that even if we had a war now, it probably wouldn’t kill everyone.” I consider. “Maybe. There’d probably be pockets of people who would survive. Civilization would definitely collapse, though. And radiation takes thousands of years to go away, so there’d be big parts of the world that would just be uninhabitable.” The three Heartslabyul boys exchange uncomfortable looks. “But it’s fine now. Mostly.”

“It’s impressive,” Riddle says after a moment, “what your world has managed to achieve without magic. I never would have thought that a place like that could become just as advanced as our world.”

“Thanks,” I say, uncertain what else to respond with. It’s not like I personally did any of the advancement he’s talking about. “Just being in a world where magic exists is pretty incredible to me. Thought it’s a lot to learn, since I’m not familiar with the history or how magic works or any of that…”

Something in Riddle’s eyes sparks and I trail off, trying to figure out exactly what I said. “Then you will join us for our study session. With midterms coming up, there isn’t a moment to waste, and having a remedial student will help Trey and I practice teaching the rest of the fist years.”

“Remedial student?” I sputter, indignant. I’m doing pretty well, considering I’m having to relearn everything from scratch in a high school setting. Then I realize that Riddle has just sentenced me to a study session from hell. “Uh, actually, I need to-” My gaze falls on the snoozing cat-beast next to me. “Grim and I should be getting back to Ramshackle before it’s too late, you know, we have to make dinner and there’s cleaning to do and-”

“Nonsense,” Riddle says, waving me off. “Trey has already made a nutritious meal back at the dorm, and I’m certain there’s enough for you to take part.”

I shoot Trey a pleading look, but he just nods. “There’s enough.” I glare at him. He shrugs back.

“And the cleaning can wait until midterms are over. There’s nothing more pressing than your studies.” Riddle waves his pen and the pile of books next to him starts hovering again. “We’ll head to the dorm once I check these out.” He pauses, then hands me a book on the top of the pile. “You can start with this basic overview of magical energy and its formation in nature.” He heads off to the front desk without waiting for my agreement, the book tower floating along next to him.

“Thanks for the help,” I mutter to Trey and Cater.

“It’s not that bad,” Trey says. “Riddle’s a good teacher. And even if you don’t need the help, it’ll be good for Grim. He could use the review- Ace says he barely stays awake during Trein’s lectures.”

True enough. Though it’s irritating that I have to be roped into it as well. “Fine, fine. C’mon, Grim.” I poke him. “We’re studying.”

“Myahhh,” he mumbles, shoving his face into his paws. “Five more minutes.”

I roll my eyes. “We’re going to Heartslabyul for dinner. Trey made it.”

He shoots to his paws. “Why didn’t you say so? Let’s go!” He hops down from the desk and starts booking it toward the entrance of the library. I pick up the book Riddle gave me and join Trey and Cater in heading toward Riddle. Hopefully by the time Grim realizes we’re actually attending a study session, he’ll be too full and scared of getting collared again that he won’t make a fuss. Maybe. It’s a bit of a long shot. Whatever. Trey will probably give us dessert, and that’s enough of a win to make the whole evening worth it.

#self reblog

[twistedminutia]

A Million and One Minutia: The Solar System

The Ramshackle prefect teaches ADeuce and Riddle about the solar system. Crossposted to AO3 here.

Getting thrown into a parallel universe naturally involves a bit of a learning curve. No getting around it. Even when a universe is superficially close to your own, there’s always some change, some difference that you have to adjust to. (I assume. I’ve only ever been thrown into the one.)

Everyone assumes, in Twisted Wonderland, that the thing I’m struggling to adjust to most is magic.

Which isn’t to say that it’s not an issue. Primarily in classes. Even Grim, who falls asleep two minutes into lectures and acts as though cracking a book will kill him, has a basic understanding of magic. I, meanwhile, feel a little more like I walked into algebra before I learned my times tables. Except the times tables will explode if you do them wrong. And also everyone around me has a natural affinity for them and can intuit that three times two is six while I sit around trying to make those grids out of blocks and count them all up.

So. Not a fun experience. But it’s hardly the worst issue in the world. I don’t know what Crowley told the other teachers, but they’re aware I’ve got no magic and have the decency to dumb down the work I have to do, or give me alternate assignments when I can’t complete the practical work. The thing with magic is that it’s obvious, especially here at magic school, and there’s a billion and one resources to learn about it with. I know I need to learn more about magic and I do, all the time.

It’s just that sometimes, I forget magic isn’t the only difference between my world and this one. The little differences, those are the ones that get to me. It’s like walking into a room after someone’s moved around your furniture. Yes, it’s annoying that your bookshelf’s on the other wall now, but you can see that one plainly and adapt. It’s a lot harder to stop tripping over the couch that was only moved an inch to the left. It’s blindsiding.

Usually, I study in Heartslabyul- it’s more convenient for Ace and Deuce, who will only study if I’m there to force them, and Ramshackle is, well, ramshackle enough that it’s not totally comfortable. Grim is okay with it because he can beg food off Trey. And Riddle’s at least mellowed enough that he doesn’t immediately snap at us for wandering off topic and getting a little too loud.

Deuce and Ace are flipping through a set of books on Alchemy- we have a quiz in a few days on restoratives, and they’re trying to figure out the most efficient way to craft an elixir of power. Grim should be doing the same, but he’s half-asleep, crumbs of a tart surrounding his mouth. For my part, I’m trying to memorize the list of restoratives and common ingredients between them. The practical portion of the quiz is a bit of a weird spot for me- technically I can measure and portion ingredients, but Grim needs to be there to infuse the entire mixture with magic. The last time I talked to Crewel, he was still debating on whether I should work with Grim on the potion and our grade should be combined, or if it would be better to make Grim do the practical portion on his own and have me take an extra-long written portion.

In truth, I don’t care what he chooses. I just wish he’d chosen sooner, because now I have to study both a larger chunk of information and the actual way to make the potion itself. I know for a fact that if Grim and I take the practical together, I’ll end up carrying him. Then again, if I’m not there to help, he might blow something up. Win some, lose some.

I lean my head back against the wall behind me and close my eyes for a moment. Alchemical symbols swirl behind my eyelids. Grim gives a particularly loud snort and rolls over. I open my eyes just in time to see Riddle fixing us with a venomous glare from across the room, barely visible behind a stack of books. I nudge Grim awake.

“Myaah? …Cut it out,” Grim mumbles, lazily waving a paw in my direction. I pinch him and he tries to scramble up to retaliate. Unfortunately, his paws land on a small stack of paper, which slips out from under him and sends him sprawling to the ground with a thump and a shriek.

“Shhh!” Riddle hisses from across the room. I make an apologetic gesture and gather Grim up.

“We should go back to Ramshackle,” I say. Grim squirms in my arms, grousing about being carried.

“You’re leaving already?” Deuce asks, finally looking up. Ace yawns, leaning over to stretch his back.

“It’s already past seven,” I say. I think. I don’t have a phone or a wristwatch, and some of the clocks in Heartslabyul are set wrong. I asked Riddle about it (if he likes punctuality so much, why is he making it harder for people to know the time?) and he threw out some rule about having to keep some clocks on alternate times that I didn’t really listen to. But the correct clocks tend to agree, and two clocks in this room point to seven ten as the current time. The darkness outside seems to concur.

Deuce leans over to glance outside. His expression sours upon seeing night has mostly fallen. “I didn’t realize it was so late. Are you going to be okay going back in the dark?”

“I’ll be fine,” I say as Grim starts puffing himself up in my arms.

“Yeah! Nothing out there could be a match for the great and powerful Grim!” I don’t roll my eyes. Barely. But I don’t.

Ace abruptly launches himself to his feet, sending the book on his lap spilling to the floor. Another furious ‘SHHHH!’ comes from Riddle’s corner of the room. “No, no, Deucey is right,” he says, lowering his voice enough that Riddle is mollified. “You can’t walk all the way back there yourself. I’ll come with you.”

I narrow my eyes. “You just don’t want to study anymore.”

Ace frowns. “Hey! I’m just worried about my friend walking back to her dorm all by herself-”

“We could use a break,” Deuce cuts in. “We’ve been studying for hours.”

Eh. He’s right, and it’s not like I don’t appreciate the company. “Thanks, then,” I say. I lift my voice and direct it towards Riddle. “And thank you for your hospitality, Housewarden.” Riddle glances up and acknowledges us before ducking back down to his work.

Together, we organize our materials and head for the front door of the dorm. I open the door, pausing to let Ace and Deuce don their scarves- it’s started to get cold at night, and there is a bit of a hike to get to Ramshackle.

While waiting for them, I take a moment to look up at the sky. It’s dazzling here- so many stars. Maybe they’re brighter in Twisted Wonderland, or maybe light pollution just works differently, because despite electric lighting of the dorm, I can see an enormous smattering of stars across the sky. It’s not quite as full as some photos I’ve seen of clear night skies, but it’s close.

I’ve never been good with stars, but I turn my gaze toward the one celestial object I’ve always known how to find- and pause. It’s not there.

“Are you coming?” Ace asks. I blink. He and Deuce have walked past me and are now waiting on the steps of the dorm. I’m still dithering in the open doorway.

“Sorry,” I say, giving one more glance up at the sky. “I was looking for Venus. I guess the sky’s different here.”

“What’s Venus?”

I look at Deuce. He blinks back at me, expression perfectly bewildered. The thing with the chickens in the eggs was one thing, but this is another. I look over at Ace, hoping to see the grin he gets when he’s ready to tear Deuce a new one, but he is staring at me too.

“It’s probably a constellation,” Ace says with a shrug. “Don’t ask me where it is, though. I’ve never been any good at that sort of thing.”

“No,” I say, a little incredulous and a little trepidatious. “It’s a planet.” Nothing. “The planet Venus? Second in our solar system? Only planet named after a woman?” Nada.

Deuce’s face scrunches a little. “I’ve never heard of it.” Ace shakes his head.

“You’ve never heard of Venus?” Maybe if one of them hadn’t heard of it, I would have brushed it off. But given that both of them are giving me looks like I’ve gone bonkers, I’m starting to get a little nervous.

Okay. Third opinion. I turn to Grim. Wait. Maybe a third opinion from someone who isn’t an idiot. I head back into the dorm, stirring up shouts of horror from Deuce and Ace. I ignore them and march straight back to the common area.

Riddle looks up as I walk in and his face immediately goes tomato-red. “Why are you wearing your shoes in the dorm?!”

“Riddle. This is important. What’s Venus?”

He sputters for a moment. Long enough for Deuce and Ace to come scrambling into the room behind me. “Wh- I- The painting?”

“No!” I half-yell, throwing my hands up. “The PLANET!”

Riddle looks around me at Ace and Deuce. “Is she… all right?”

“I dunno,” Ace says. “We were just heading out and then she started getting all weird about the sky or something? Asking where Venus was?” He looks and Deuce, who nods along.

“The only Venus I know is the painting,” Riddle says. “It’s of a goddess of the same name who was worshipped a long time ago.” He peers at me uncertainly. “I don’t know of a planet called Venus.”

I take a deep breath. “I need to see what the solar system looks like.” The three boys and Grim look at each other. “Please.”

Riddle pulls out a blank piece of paper and rapidly sketches something, then slides it toward me. It’s a simplified diagram of the solar system, as seen from above.

There are only five planets.

I look over it a few times to make sure I’ve got it right. It’s a pretty simplified diagram, but Riddle’s drawn it clearly. Five planets. And the second-closest one to the sun is labeled ‘Twisted Wonderland.’

I stare at the paper for a long time. Five planets. Caselotti is the closest one to the sun. The furthest out is Arendia. Walten comes next, and the third furthest is Olead.

“Um.” Deuce clears his throat. “Gray? Are you…?” He trails off, glancing at Ace and Riddle. Both of them look equally nonplussed. I can’t imagine how insane I look right now, storming in and demanding a drawing of the solar system. Even Riddle’s staying silent, though I’m sure he’s ready to explode about my shoes touching the dorm’s carpets.

I feel somewhat stupid now. Obviously the planets wouldn’t be the same here. The stars aren’t the same either, probably. I’m in a totally different world. It makes sense that the solar system would look different.

Somehow, though, it just… never occurred to me. A weird emotion twists in my gut, like I’m dropping away from the rest of the world, further away from anyone than I’ve ever been. The realization that even the sky is different here feels like something fundamental has been ripped away from me. Something I never even considered important before.

“Huh. Y’know, it looks different where I’m from,” I say. My tone’s as deliberately light as I can make it. “I guess I never considered it before.”

Ace and Deuce are silent, still looking mildly concerned. Riddle arches an eyebrow at his drawing. “In your world, you mean? The place you’re from?” He’s been the most curious about where I’m from since I told the Heartslabyul crew about how I got here. He’s also generally too polite to push about it, but I can see the interest in his eyes. “How different?”

“Well, for one, there’s nine planets,” I say. “Actually, there might only be eight now. I was never clear on what happened with Pluto.”

“Pluto?” Ace repeats, his face scrunching. “That’s a dog’s name.”

“It’s a planet name where I’m from,” I say.

“And Venus is too?” Deuce confirms. I nod.

“Sorry for kind of freaking out a little there. I guess I was just surprised it’s so different.”

Grim huffs at my feet. “Are we going to head back to Ramshackle or not?”

“Sorry, Grim.” I bend over to pick him up so he can see what we’re doing. “I just… wanted to check something. We’ll head back.”

He’s already distracted, staring at the drawing on the table. “What’s that supposed to be?”

Riddle looks offended. “It’s the solar system.”

Grim nods. “What’s that?”

There’s a moment of stunned silence. “Oh yeah,” I say. “I always forget you never attended actual school before this one.”

We all pitch in to try and teach Grim the basics of the solar system, though we keep having to detour to explain concepts like ‘gravity’ and ‘planets.’ Eventually, Riddle remembers that I’m still wearing my shoes and pitches a fit, prompting Grim and me to retreat back to the mirror, and leaving Ace and Deuce to whatever lecture Riddle is sure to give.

#self reblog

[twistedminutia]

A Million and One Minutia: Nuclear Weaponry

Read the previous chapters here: Ch. 1

Gray teaches the Heartslabyul upperclassmen about nuclear power and weaponry.

The school library is where I spend a majority of my time, much to Grim’s protests. I’m not exactly sure what irritates him so much about it- maybe it’s just the principle of the thing, because he naps most of the time anyway, and it’s more comfortable than Ramshackle. Fall has set in pretty firmly, and the dorm’s walls do not keep out the chill. The library is warm, comfy, and I don’t have to worry about a leaking ceiling if it rains.

It’s also the only place on campus I can get internet access from. I don’t have money for a phone, and even if I got one for free, I can’t pay for an internet plan. Crowley hems and haws whenever the subject comes up, so I’m not holding out hope. So. Library computers it is.

Naturally, the internet itself is recognizable, but weird. Like most things here. The search engines are different, but have a similar format to what I’m used to. The websites are different, but they’re clear analogues of websites back home. It’s at least intuitive to navigate, if a little strange.

Research provides me with some details, but the more I look at, the more incomplete it feels. I can’t explain it quite right, but it feels a little like trying to read a detailed fanfic for a series of movies you haven’t seen. I can intuit a lot of it, but then a website will casually mention something I don’t know about at all and I’m completely lost again.

I’m in the middle of trying to figure out if hippogriffs are real actual animals here or just some sort of cryptid when I hear footsteps nearby. I glance up at the right moment to make eye contact with Cater, who waves enthusiastically. Trey follows his gaze and gives me a wave of his own. They pause near me, and I nod at Riddle, who’s the last member in their little group. He nods back.

“How’s it going?” Trey asks. “Ramshackle’s all right? You’re getting enough to eat and sleep?”

Ever since Trey learned that I am not of this world, he’s been subtly momming me. It’s nothing too bothersome- just frequent questions about how I’m doing, if I need anything, if I’m taking care of myself all right. Usually it’s no big deal, though I did get an impressive lecture once when I’d been in such a hurry that I hadn’t brushed my teeth when leaving Ramshackle in the morning. Apparently, anyone in a leadership position at Heartslabyul has formidable scolding abilities.

Still, it’s not like I don’t appreciate the gesture. Not least of all because Trey has been slipping me baked goods. Keeping them away from Grim so that I can get even one bite has become a full-time job.

“Everything’s fine,” I say. “Are you here to get some studying done?”

“More or less,” Trey says. “Riddle and I are trying to get a study guide set up for the exams coming up, so the freshmen will have something to follow during the study groups.”

“I’m just here to snap some Magicam pics,” Cater says, holding his phone up to get a shot of himself against one of the bookshelves. “Dark academia is super trendy right now.”

“You’re going to study for exams and set up a guide to help other people study?” I ask, ignoring Cater to level a skeptical look at Riddle and Trey. “Don’t you ever give yourselves time to rest?”

“Of course. A certain amount of rest ensures that the brain is functioning at peak level,” Riddle huffs. “I have a half an hour of leisure before bed every night. And helping other people study is shown to be one of the most effective forms of learning and retaining information.” He draws himself up, heels clicking together. “I’m going to get the class textbooks for the basic freshmen courses.”

He heads off down the rows of bookshelves, heels clacking against the ground. I share a look with Trey. “He is actually doing okay, right?” I ask.

“I’ve been making sure he doesn’t push himself too hard,” Trey says. “Cater’s been helping keep things in order too.”             “Gotta keep the housewarden happy,” Cater agrees, thumbing through the photos he’s taken. I take the opportunity to sneak a glance at Trey’s bag. It’s gotten to the point where my mouth starts watering when Trey shows up. He’s completely Pavloved me. Assuming that Pavlov is still a thing in this universe. Probably not. I wonder what classical conditioning is called here. Probably just ‘classical conditioning.’

Trey catches me staring and shakes his head. “I gave you a dozen cookies three days ago.”

“Yeah, and I live with a furry black hole,” I say, jerking a thumb toward Grim. He rolls onto his belly, mumbling something indistinct.

Trey laughs. “Well, I don’t have any food on me.”

“Even if you did, you probably shouldn’t have it out here,” Cater says, glancing deeper into the library. “Riddle’s going to be back at any moment.”

Good point. Biggest, most well-known rule ever: don’t bring food into a library. “Oh, right,” I say. “I guess Riddle would go nuclear if he saw someone eating in here.”

I thought it was a fairly reasonable thing to say, but apparently not, because both Cater and Trey swivel toward me with identical looks of bewilderment. “What?” Cater says.

Oops. Maybe making fun of the housewarden is only for the people actually under his rule. Deuce and Ace never had a problem with it- though their relationship with Riddle is often contentious and they’re perhaps not the best examples to look toward for the appropriate treatment of housewardens. I shrink down in my seat. “Uh- Y’know, was just saying that he’d be pissed if we broke a rule- I didn’t mean anything by it, really- I guess I’ve just been around Ace and Deuce and they complain about him all the time so I thought-” You’re throwing your friends under the bus, stop talking! “It wasn’t an insult toward him or anything-”

Cater waves a hand. “No, I mean, what does ‘going nuclear’ mean?”

I pause, giving time for my scrambled brain to slip back on the tracks. “Wh- going nuclear?” I glance at Trey, but he’s clearly just as mystified as Cater. “You know. Blowing your top. Going ballistic. Freaking out. He would have gotten really mad.”

“Huh,” Trey says. “I’ve never heard that one before.”             “I guess it’s not a terribly common phrase,” I say.

“Nu-cle-ar,” Cater says, rolling the word around in his mouth. “Huh. Is that another word for angry in your world?”

“No,” I say, a little caught off guard. “You don’t know what nuclear means?”

Trey shakes his head. “I just said I’ve never heard of it before.”

“Yeah, but I thought you just meant in that context, not that you didn’t know what nuclear was.” I look at Cater, but he just shakes his head at me.

“What is it?” Trey asks, settling into a computer seat next to me. Cater perks up and leans in.

“W-well, it’s-” Uh. Crap. I know what nuclear means in a very general sense, but not enough to describe it with any sort of accuracy. My first instinct would be to look it up, but I’m not sure how useful that’s going to be- if Trey and Cater haven’t even heard of it, is it something they’ve even discovered here? “Um. So. I only learned about this briefly once, so this maybe isn’t all that accurate. But I think it’s… some kind of atomic thing? Like, if something happens on an atomic level, then you get a substance that produces radioactivity, which can be really dangerous, and people use it for power and bombs and things…” I pause. Cater and Trey are just staring. “Okay, uh. Do you know what atoms are?”

Trey nods, but Cater just shrugs. “I never paid attention in science class. They’re really small, right?”

“Yeah, they’re the smallest substance. I think, if something happens to the nucleus, then you get radioactivity, which is a kind of dangerous energy that you can use for… some things, I think. X-rays are radioactive, and that’s why you have to use a lead blanket when you have them…” Cater and Trey are still staring at me like I’m speaking gibberish. In fairness, I barely understand what I’m saying. “I didn’t really pay attention in science class either, okay? I’m not very good at explaining this stuff.”             There’s the ‘click click’ of approaching heeled footsteps and Trey looks around me. “Hey, Riddle, do you know what nuclear means?”

I spin around in time to see Riddle placing a stack of books on the table next to him. He’s using magic to carry it, presumably because the stack is almost as tall as he is. It makes quite an impressive thump. “Yes. I’ve done some reading on nuclear physics, so I’m familiar with it, though I’ll admit it’s not a subject I’m all that interested in. Why?”

It figures that Riddle would casually bring up reading about nuclear physics. I bet he was reading science textbooks for fun at age six. “We were just talking about it,” I say. “I mentioned it and Cater and Trey didn’t know what it meant.”

“I’m not surprised,” Riddle says. He goes up on his tiptoes to reach some of the books at the top of the stack. His fingertips don’t quite touch the cover of the topmost book. “It’s- ugh- not a subject most people bother with.” He makes one final grab at the book, then gives up in the most dignified, I-meant-to-do-that way, and just magics it down. “I’m surprised you know about it, considering…” Riddle trails off, apparently realizing there’s no way out of that sentence that isn’t an insult. He clears his throat awkwardly. “Just. Considering.”

“Everyone knows about nuclear power where I come from. I mean, not everyone. But most people. There’s a big debate over whether or not we should use it for power right now, which freaks some people out, but-” I stop. Riddle is giving me the sort of horrified look usually reserved for when a person has a cockroach the size of a hot dog crawling up their back. “What?”

“You’re trying to use it for power generation?” he says, aghast. “Why? Nuclear materials are highly unstable and dangerous! It’s a fascinating hypothetical subject, but no one’s willing to put money into such a volatile substance, and certainly no one would agree to use it over magic-generated power.”

“Well, my world didn’t have magic,” I say a little sulkily. “We kind of had to make do.” Riddle frowns, looking vaguely disturbed. “It being dangerous is why there’s such a big debate over using it- no one wants to use a substance that could poison you near their homes, but it produces a lot of energy and it’s less harmful in the long term than things like oil. And people are careful with it. It’s not the same as getting power from a nuclear bomb or something.”             Riddle’s expression sours further. “A nuclear… bomb?”

“A bomb that utilizes the energy of a split atom or something. It’s supposed to be insanely powerful, and even if you don’t get blown up by it, it irradiates the surrounding area, and then that radiation makes people sick, so it’s a pretty effective weapon.” I grope for an appropriate metaphor. “It’s… um, it’s powerful enough that if you dropped one on NRC, the RSA would get hit by the shockwave. And it would probably give any survivors radiation sickness.”

“Woah,” Cater says. “Why would you make something like that?”

I shrug. “There wasn’t that good of a reason- it was made in a war that a lot of people were trying to win and it sort of… happened because people wanted a weapon that would end the war. But then people started making more of them, because everyone was scared of having it used on them, so they needed one of their own to protect themselves, and then everyone ended up with so many of them that they were an apocalyptic threat so no one could fire them. It all just sort of snowballed.”

“Huh,” Trey says. “That actually reminds me of the end of the war between the faeries and the humans.”

“Really?” Cater says. Trey swats him gently with a scrap piece of paper.

“Trein was just talking about it in class last week. Toward the end of the war, humans and faeries were using such destructive magic against each other that battlefields were tainted with blot and destroyed. The battles were almost always stalemates, and no one was winning anything. It’s one of the main reasons the peace negotiations started to gain some traction.”

Riddle nods. “There were other political reasons, of course, but that was where the biggest push for peace started. The first major act of human and faerie cooperation was restoring areas of land that were damaged by blot and magic.”

“Did it work?” I ask.

“For the most part- I think the Jupiter Corporation assisted heavily with the cleanup, and there are still a few areas that need restoration. But it’s largely healed now,” Riddle says.

“Then you’re doing better than we are,” I say ruefully. “You can’t really clean up radiation that way. Once it’s there, it’s there. The only thing you can do is wait until it fades naturally.”

“What does radiation do?” Cater asks. “Is it like blot?”

“It makes you sick, I think. There’s radiation in a lot of things, like sunlight- I think that’s why it can give you sunburns. But the kind of radiation the bombs used would make you sick. Deadly sick. That was one of the big concerns with them- even if people don’t die in the initial blast, the radiation would kill them off.” That and the nuclear winter, but I don’t mention that bit. All three of them look vaguely unsettled anyway.

“But that never happened,” Trey says, a little like he’s trying to reassure himself as well.

“No. And they decommissioned enough bombs that even if we had a war now, it probably wouldn’t kill everyone.” I consider. “Maybe. There’d probably be pockets of people who would survive. Civilization would definitely collapse, though. And radiation takes thousands of years to go away, so there’d be big parts of the world that would just be uninhabitable.” The three Heartslabyul boys exchange uncomfortable looks. “But it’s fine now. Mostly.”

“It’s impressive,” Riddle says after a moment, “what your world has managed to achieve without magic. I never would have thought that a place like that could become just as advanced as our world.”

“Thanks,” I say, uncertain what else to respond with. It’s not like I personally did any of the advancement he’s talking about. “Just being in a world where magic exists is pretty incredible to me. Thought it’s a lot to learn, since I’m not familiar with the history or how magic works or any of that…”

Something in Riddle’s eyes sparks and I trail off, trying to figure out exactly what I said. “Then you will join us for our study session. With midterms coming up, there isn’t a moment to waste, and having a remedial student will help Trey and I practice teaching the rest of the fist years.”

“Remedial student?” I sputter, indignant. I’m doing pretty well, considering I’m having to relearn everything from scratch in a high school setting. Then I realize that Riddle has just sentenced me to a study session from hell. “Uh, actually, I need to-” My gaze falls on the snoozing cat-beast next to me. “Grim and I should be getting back to Ramshackle before it’s too late, you know, we have to make dinner and there’s cleaning to do and-”

“Nonsense,” Riddle says, waving me off. “Trey has already made a nutritious meal back at the dorm, and I’m certain there’s enough for you to take part.”

I shoot Trey a pleading look, but he just nods. “There’s enough.” I glare at him. He shrugs back.

“And the cleaning can wait until midterms are over. There’s nothing more pressing than your studies.” Riddle waves his pen and the pile of books next to him starts hovering again. “We’ll head to the dorm once I check these out.” He pauses, then hands me a book on the top of the pile. “You can start with this basic overview of magical energy and its formation in nature.” He heads off to the front desk without waiting for my agreement, the book tower floating along next to him.

“Thanks for the help,” I mutter to Trey and Cater.

“It’s not that bad,” Trey says. “Riddle’s a good teacher. And even if you don’t need the help, it’ll be good for Grim. He could use the review- Ace says he barely stays awake during Trein’s lectures.”

True enough. Though it’s irritating that I have to be roped into it as well. “Fine, fine. C’mon, Grim.” I poke him. “We’re studying.”

“Myahhh,” he mumbles, shoving his face into his paws. “Five more minutes.”

I roll my eyes. “We’re going to Heartslabyul for dinner. Trey made it.”

He shoots to his paws. “Why didn’t you say so? Let’s go!” He hops down from the desk and starts booking it toward the entrance of the library. I pick up the book Riddle gave me and join Trey and Cater in heading toward Riddle. Hopefully by the time Grim realizes we’re actually attending a study session, he’ll be too full and scared of getting collared again that he won’t make a fuss. Maybe. It’s a bit of a long shot. Whatever. Trey will probably give us dessert, and that’s enough of a win to make the whole evening worth it.

#twisted wonderland #twst #a million and one minutia #yuusona #twisted wonderland headcanons #riddle rosehearts #trey clover #cater diamond #twisted wonderland fic #twisted wonderland fanfic

[twistedminutia]

Twisted Wonderland incorrect #143

I AM NOT DEAD RAHHH

[twistedminutia]

not to be controversial bc I know this is like…not in line with shifting opinions on fanfic comment culture but if there’s a glaring typo in my work I will NOT be offended by pointing it out. if ao3 fucks up the formatting…I will also not be offended by having this pointed out…

‘looking forward to the next update’ and ‘I hope you update soon!’ are different vibes than a demand, and should be read in good faith because a reader is finding their way to tell you how much they love it. I will not be mad at this.

‘I don’t usually like this ship but this fic made me feel something’ is also incredibly high praise. I’m not going to get mad at this.

even ‘I love this fic but I’m curious about why you made [x] choice’ is just another way a reader is engaging in and putting thought into your work.

I just feel like a lot of authors take any comment that’s not perfectly articulated glowing praise in the exact manner they’re hoping to receive it in bad faith.

fic engagement has been dropping across the board over the last several years, and yes it’s frustrating but it isn’t as though I can’t see how it happens. comment anxiety can be a real thing. the last thing anyone wants to do is offend an author they love, and that means sometimes people default to silence.

idk where I’m going with this I guess aside from saying unless a comment is outright attacking me I’m never going to get mad at it, and I think a lot of authors should feel the same way. ESPECIALLY TYPOS PLZ GOD POINT OUT MY TYPOS.

#yep I like all comments really! #I don’t understand why ppl get offended over ‘I don’t like this ship but I enjoyed this fic’ #like ‘I don’t like this ship’ is a dumb comment to receive but ‘I don’t like this ship but I like this’ #means you did really well!!!!! #anyway love all comments on my fic I treasure them and reread them a lot

[twistedminutia]

Master chef Ortho Azul, Magical Shift Leona full live2d

Just posting them together

#twisted wonderland jp spoilers #twst jp spoilers #everyone’s freaking out about ortho’s feet but I don’t care about those they’re fine #WHY ARE HIS HANDS LIKE THAT #blocky ass cube fingers #WE KNEW ABOUT HIS FEET BUT HIS HANDS ARE NORMAL IN OTHER PLACES #WHY ARE THEY WEIRD HERE

[twistedminutia]

Pomefiore memes 3

(Sorry that its shorter than usual)

[twistedminutia]

Now that savannahclaw Rook is loose everyone is ragging on Vil for giving him that fuck ass bob but I just wanna point out that if some freak stalked me to my house with a rats nest on his head and started policing my diet I’d give him a fuck ass bob too. Not Vil’s fault that freak liked it and kept it that way. He probably hoped he’d get rid of him and instead he got the Berries and Cream waistline police taking up permanent residence in his house.

#yeah everyone is like ‘VIL HOW COULD YOU’ but it’s not like Rook PROTESTED #twisted wonderland jp spoilers

[twistedminutia]

✍️ more fic writer asks!

reblog & your followers can send asks with the questions they’d like you to answer!

the last sentence you wrote

a character whose POV you’re currently exploring

how you feel about your current WIP

a story idea you haven’t written yet

first sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP

the word that appears the most in your current draft (wordcounter.net can tell you)

your preferred writing fonts

if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for…

start to finish, how long did it take you to write the last fic you posted?

what is the longest amount of time you’ve let a draft rest before you finished it?

a WIP you’d like to finish someday

a trope you’re really into right now

a fandom you’re thinking about writing for

where do you get your inspiration?

favorite weather for writing

favorite place to write

talk about your writing and editing process

if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic

the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic

in what year did you publish your first fic?

when did you publish your most recent fic?

do you ever worry about public reaction to what you’re writing? how do you get past that?

pick three keywords that describe your writing

how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative?

besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

are you able to write with other people around?

your favorite part of the writing process

your least favorite part of the writing process

how easy is it for you to come up with titles?

share a fic you’re especially proud of

[twistedminutia]

Why do you think they put Savannah Claw Rook up to pull??? Is he even going to participate in Book 7???? I am so confused WHY HIM??? WHY NOT IDK, CREWEL? VARGAS? MAYBE TREIN?? WHY HIM.

I’m SO CONFUSED. Is it just for money grabbing or something like that? It doesn’t make any sense.

Also how prepared you are for the probably last update of Book 7?

I mean...it said he's a story card, and all the other story cards have had major roles, so I see no reason to assume he won't as well! (plus any staff cards are probably all going to be events like Crowley was; I would honestly be MORE surprised to see them as story cards.) really though I'm having fun trying to figure out how he's going to tie into things! we're back at Cerberus Ortho levels of "WHAT DOES IT MEEEAAAAN" and it's great. :D

I assume we're going to be doing some more dream-hopping, but I think it would be hilarious if it turned out to be someone else's dream instead of Rook's. who else could possibly be dreaming about him pre-fancification.

(I'm also half afraid that this really is the last part, and half afraid that it isn't. I'm -- I'm not going to believe anything until we get the diadorm rerun pickups, and maybe not even then)

#twisted wonderland jp spoilers #twisted wonderland book 7 spoilers #twisted wonderland spoilers #I think they all just go ‘so who could we get to possibly pin down an overblotted dragon for five minutes so we can yell at him?’ #and then after a long silence yuu is just like ‘Rook?’ #and everyone just kind of nods and says ‘Rook’ and then they go get him #(or more likely silver just dream jumps and we’re there) #I kinda hope we don’t visit EVERYONE’S dreams tho that would take a while

[twistedminutia]

" Welcome back to Night Raven College's 'Ghostly Gossip'! The school's unofficial main online source for the latest news, articles and trending topics circulating around campus! "

"Prepare for trouble and make it double. No, really, the twins are some nightmarish business assistants. I wish I could have them on my team too..."

Navigation:

R. Rosehearts ▪︎ T. Clover ▪︎ C. Diamond ▪︎ A. Trappola ▪︎ D. Spade ▪︎ L. Kingscholar ▪︎ R. Bucchi ▪︎ J. Howl ▪︎ A. Ashengrotto ▪︎ J. Leech ▪︎ F. Leech ▪︎ K. Al Asim ▪︎ J. Viper ▪︎ V. Schoenheit ▪︎ R. Hunt ▪︎ E. Felmier ▪︎ I. Shroud ▪︎ O. Shroud ▪︎ M. Draconia ▪︎ L. Vanrouge ▪︎ S. Zigvolt ▪︎ Silver

Design notes:

And the electrified pool incident continues (ik electric eels are of fresh water and not the ocean, but I already drew it. So. I have no canonical explanation for that I did it for the joke)

Taking a second look I'm starting to think their outfits are too simple, but first and foremost I wanted to do something fun for the looks of their primary features. I took inspiration from Luca (probably one of my favorite movies ever so I couldn't help but reference it here too lol) for the eye catching merform designs! Considering they're canonically sea monsters anyway, I didn't want to just insert their og designs here, so in this au they're more like in between their og merforms and human forms, also with their color pallettes are more similar to what flotsam and jetsam looked like in the little mermaid movie imo I wanted them to essentially wear the same thing despite the contrasting personalities, and technically most of the time they're walking around the school they're simultaneously working for Azul, looking for students to make deals with happens in this universe too (fortunately for them and unfortunatelyfor others), so an outfit more inclined to formal would be ideal to cause a good impression on their business, or as good as they can make it anyway. Nobody can contain Floyd though, if he has to wear an uniform he is going to stylize it.

Keeping it short this time, I don't wanna keep it on my drafts to add more notes later and postpone this more than I already have 💀 if I remember more facts about the AU twins I'll share them later!

Also, I was thinking of making a tag for asks related to this AU and I think I'll name it #.phantom answers to follow the AU theme lol but now I have to edit previous asks to insert this tag so wish me luck

[twistedminutia]

im just gonna come right out and say it:

pretty much everyone in this fandom portrays Silver as this perfect, flawless, polite, beautiful, princely, romantic gentleman who can do absolutely no wrong in his life ever. which is… not really accurate at all.

he’s odd. he struggles with showing emotions and doesn’t understand social cues very well. his dorm uniform vignette is literally about how people find him strange and unapproachable due to his lack of expressiveness. in his lab coat vignette, Jamil straight up calls him weird to his face and he fully agrees without hesitation.

and in one of his voice lines, he calls Yuu strange just for wanting to hang out with him. stop and think about that for a second. he considers himself boring and doesn’t expect anyone would want to spend time with him. maybe he used to try and make friends, but people kept avoiding him, saying that he wasn’t fun to be around.

he’s not the handsome guy that everybody in the school falls for, he’s the quiet kid who doesn’t say much or has any friends outside of his own personal circle. and i think that has a lot of potential for angst.

#YES #in the white rabbit event he literally SCARES CHILDREN #he’s very stoic (got a massive case of resting bitch face like the worst ever) #he’s an EXCELLENT soldier but he also genuinely terrible at expressing emotions through his mannerisms #I think ppl read the Idia vignette where Idia referred to him as princely (while he was asleep) and take that as fact? #and he is genuinely noble in personality to an extent- he seems to be willing to help others out and he’s sincere and straightforward #he’s not smooth I guess is what I’m driving at #I actually feel like he’s probably poorly socialized? if attitudes toward humans in briar valley are like Sebek’s #he probably didn’t have a lot of friends so he probably never learned how to engage socially with people his own age #him and malleus are probably similar that way tbh they both seem stoic and weirdly distant from their own emotions #this is a long ramble but silver is best when he’s stoic and blank faced #(except for the soft smile he has for Lilia)

[twistedminutia]

innocently logging in to look at the Twst schedule for May like

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland spoilers #twisted wonderland JP spoilers #twst spoilers #twst Jp spoilers #I’m so sorry this is so funny to me #long hair Rook AND malleus tsum?????? too funny #also could he please come home in the actual tsum game I only have vil and two crowleys so far

[twistedminutia]

I hope that this isn’t too silly, nor something that was asked before, but I am curious if there could’ve been any information – either from the game or supplemental materials – that I could’ve missed, do not know about, and/or have simply forgotten about involving the likelihood of human students being placed in Savannaclaw? Prior to the reveal of Rook originally being in Savannaclaw, I did not actually consider or think about human students getting sorted into that dorm. Thinking about it now, I suppose if human students possess the qualities of a Savannaclaw, it should not be impossible, but outside of Leona, Ruggie, and Jack, a lot of the background Savannaclaw students appear to be beastman—at least as far as I have noticed. I think that is the main reason I never thought about humans being in Savannaclaw until Rook being in that dorm originally planted the seed. I am not going to lie, I was starting to consider Rook not being human for fun, his abnormally good eyesight kind of contributing to the cause, ha ha! Thank you so much!

Hello hello!! Thank you for this question! ^^

Theories about Rook aside (👀) there is precedence for non-beast-people students being in Savanaclaw in both the manga and the novel, but what about the game?

The most we might have to go on at the moment is a single line from Deuce back in Book 1: when Grim declares that Chenya must be a Savanaclaw student because of his animal ears Deuce explains, "other dorms have students with animal ears, too."

This tells us that not all beast-people are regulated to Savanaclaw by default, and it seems possible that the same applies in reverse--we just haven't seen any yet, just like how we have not seen any beast-people in other dorms, despite being told they're there!

edit: Thank you so much to @viczen33 for pointing out that there was once a reference to a cat-beast-person member of Heartslabyul! ^^

Rook is, of course, all the proof we need if we are assuming he is human, and he has yet to be proven otherwise as of this post ^^

And maybe there might be a non-animal-eared Savanaclaw sprite one day, or an animal-eared sprite in a non-Savanclaw-uniform! (In the game guide Yana says that Cater was originally a beast-person.)

It is fun to look forward to :>

#I believe in one of the vignettes Cater and Trey are speculating on who will be placed in what dorm #and Trey stated that most beastmen go into savanaclaw #I think it was one of their ceremonial robes vignettes?