“This Is Your Daily, Friendly Reminder To Use Commas Instead Of Periods During The Dialogue Of Your

poor Sebek

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS MASTERCHEF!! I love this match up so much!!

Bonus meme:

I FOUND IT GUYS I SPENT HALF AN HOUR LOOKING FOR THIS VIDEO AND ITS HERE

HOLY ARCHONS HE'S REALLY 😳😳😳😳

I think I have a case of dehydration t̶h̶i̶r̶s̶t̶y̶, Dr. Baizhu 😩😩 SEND HELP

Character Teaser: "Baizhu - An Elusive Curative"

🫠

Asmo in S1, after he finds out MC's being lying to him about why they wanted to form a pact in the first place:

MC, realising they're gonna have to make a pact with Asmo under false pretences again if they want to go back home:

Leona Kingscholar x Reader: Love Letters (2)

I think I might just start posting stuff on Ao3 before Tumblr? Just because Ao3 is easier to access and post stuff on the go. Also, I’m just more familiar with Ao3 :)

Anyways, here’s the 2nd part!

Hope you enjoy!

No spoilers or warnings for now but this might change in future installments :)

PART 1 | PART 2 [!] | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | END

SUMMARY: You think about the identity of your possible...admirer. Or is this all a cruel prank? You best keep your guard up at NRC after all!

"Food dazo!" Grim cheerfully leapt forward. He hops onto your desk, tail swaying as he picks up a pouch. 

"Uh…" You could only mumble. You weren't quite sure what to do with this information. Was somebody threatening you by sending you these ominous letters or…? Nope, it was a good idea to just shut down that idea completely. Falling for any of the pretty boys here was going to be a bad idea. One that you'd regret so badly. 

You really couldn't help yourself though. 

"Open it, open it!" Ace urges him excitedly. Grim pulls open the pouch. "Hearts…?" Deuce looks from above, confused. "Haha, somebody's got a secret crush on you!" The red head begins laughing even harder. 

"Candy! Don't mind if I do dazo!" Grim pops one in his mouth. "What if it was poisoned, Grim? You can't just put random stuff in your mouth!" You scold him, taking the pouch from him. "Fygaa! You think it's poisoned?! Ack-" Grim's eyes widened in disgust as he tries to cough it out. You try to help to no avail and he simply swallows it. 

"Tastes pretty good dazo!" 

"Candy hearts for the prefect? I think someone has a little crush on them!" Ace teasingly comments. "Shut up, do we really need everyone to know?" You huff, a blush slightly creeps up your face. It's embarrassing! What did the gifter think they were doing? 

You look around the class to stare down any eavesdroppers. As soon as they realized you were looking at them, they quickly looked away. Huh. Usually, they'd snicker in response. They didn't have the decency to even pretend they weren't listening because they knew. What could you even do against them? 

Either they finally realized your might or it was the person behind the letter and candy. You don't know if the thought relieved you or just made you more wary of the gifter.

"Hey, you. Did you see who put this here?" You decide to ask a classmate. He's a Savanaclaw member and it's obvious even without the arm band. 

He looks like a deer caught in the light for a while before his expression snaps into a glare. "No, I don't have to say anything!" He growls at you. You blink and just turn around. 

Your other classmates look jittery and nervous as they try to look anywhere but you. 

"Is it just me or is the class acting strange?" Deuce whispers. "I bet they know something about this but we're threatened to keep hush. Ooh, what if your admirer is someone powerful?" Ace theorizes with a grin. "As long as they give me food, they can have [Name] dazo." Grim nodded. 

"Grim! I can't believe you'd sell me out like that! If someone gave me stable living conditions and some love, I'd leave you too!" You gasp, pretending to be offended. 

You are sweating bullets. You hope Ace isn't right. He's usually not right anyway, right? You reassure yourself.

"Puppies, settle down! Class is starting." With professor Crewel's entrance, everyone quickly takes a seat and the room falls silent. During his lesson, you play with the strings of the pouch in your pocket.

You try to imagine who this admirer could be. Was it somebody you knew? If it wasn't, was this some cruel prank? And if it isn't a prank…there's a certain charm to a random stranger falling in love with you. 

Would he be as bold as Ace? As compassionate as Deuce? As cheerful as Cater? Maybe perhaps as strict as Riddle or even as caring as Trey? 

You just hoped this admirer didn't have the worst traits of them all. Knowing your luck, they really might. You racked your head, trying to think of more possibilities as to who this could be. You didn't really think it was in line with what you knew them to be to do this. 

By the time you start focusing on the lesson again, it's already over. You blink and shake your head. Oh no, you hope you didn't miss anything important. You'd just ask Ace or Deuce later. 

You head to your next period after that. It isn't until lunch that you finally get the chance to read that card. It's simplistic but you get the feeling it's quite expensive. You're so confused.

You pass Grim the pouch of candy hearts after you check if it's poisoned or cursed. He munches on them while you all walk to the cafeteria. The halls are weirdly devoid of students, only a few students still loitering around. It made sense since it was lunch time but there tended to be more people outside. 

"Ugh, I'm going to get mugged or something while walking home today." You groan. "Don't worry, the Great Grim will protect his henchman dazo!" Grim proclaims proudly with a grin. You smile. "Do you need me to walk you home, [Name]?" Deuce asks, cracking his knuckles with a dark look. "You triggered his bad boy switch." Ace accuses you with a frown. 

"Knock it off, you jerk-"

"It's okay, I'll be studying in the library after school anyway. You guys can watch Grim for me, right?" 

"Oh, su-" Ace claps a hand over his mouth, leaning forward. Upon seeing his eager face, you sigh and roll your eyes. 

"What do you want?"

"So, I heard today there's this super popular bakery in town that comes to promote themselves once every month." Somehow you already have a bad feeling of where this was going.

"Ah, I remember Cater mentioning that! They sell our real quick, right? I saw the picture of the egg salad sandwich he posted." Deuce adds excitedly, pulling Ace's hand away from him.

"So?" 

"Get us the deluxe menchi katsu sandwich!"

Ao3: HERE

If you see it posted anywhere or by anyone else, it's not me.

Every adventure requires a first step.

Leona Kingscholar x Reader: Love Letters (1)

I published this on Ao3 yesterday for Valentines Day! I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines day yesterday if you were with people or if you were celebrating alone! 

Hope you enjoy!

No spoilers or warnings for now but this might change in future installments :)

PART 1 [!] | PART 2 |  PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | END

SUMMARY: You receive unsigned letters on Valentines Day. They might be love letters but at Night Raven College, you can never tell. A.K.A Leona Kingscholar is bad at love letters.

You open the door, the whole building shakes a little. You're unfazed to the shakiness of Ramshackle at this point.

You were about to take a step forward when you noticed a letter on your doorstep. You pick it up curiously and you're about to open it when…you shove it in your pocket.

"Grim, hurry up! Let's go!" You shout, beginning to briskly walk to the gates. No way, this was NRC. You wouldn't open this in front of Ramshackle. Knowing the guys here, it could totally be a prank and having Ramshackle be blown up would be inconvenient.

"Fygaa, got it, got it! Stop rushing me dazo!" Grim grumbles, bounding after you. He walks besides your heels as he scratches at the choker. 

You can't help but feel a little dread in your stomach as you approach the main street. After all, it's February 14th. 

Valentines day.

Upon showing up in Twisted Wonderland and meeting some of the guys at NRC, you knew you were doomed to be alone on this day from the very start. As attractive as some of the guys were, they were also absolute brats and no way would they ever be interested in you.

Perfect was just a title. You are just some magicless human. 

Considering NRC was an all-boys school, it wouldn't be strange to maybe see a few gay couples. But if you factor in the environment… You doubt anyone here would partake in what they'd consider to be 'mushy behavior'.

You take a deep breath and enter the main street. You blink. Everything is decorated with hearts and pink. It looks like Heartslabyul vomited everywhere.

"It's really tacky, isn't it, [Name]?" An arm is suddenly on your shoulders as a weight leans down on you. "Did Heartslabyul decorate?" You asked Ace curiously. 

"Yeah, we spent all morning and yesterday decorating. Cater probably posted all those pictures already on his magicam…" Deuce sighed. "Did Ace give you any chocolates?" You suddenly ask. 

"What?" He looks confused while Ace is frantically shaking his head. "No way! Why would I ever give this idiot chocolates?! I-I don't like him like that!" He screeches, face red. "Oho! So you admit you like him? Are you finally accepting the fact that you're perhaps…good pals?!" You snicker loudly upon catching him.

"Nyahaha! Your face is so red dazo!" Grim joins in, laughing at the duo. "Ugh, shut up, you stupid cat! You can't even eat chocolate!" Ace scowls. 

"Oi, who're you calling a cat dazo?!"

"Oh, speaking of chocolates!" Deuce snaps, the topic having easily flown past him. "Trey wanted us to give this to you for him." He went through his blazer pocket, taking out a little box. 

You take it from him and shake it curiously. It sounds like their are tiny items inside. Sweets from the baker no doubt. "Nice, thank him for me if you see him." You smile, pocketing the gift along with the letter. 

"Ooh! Food! Was that food dazo?! I want it!" Grim perks up at the smell. "It's for later. Maybe if you behave, I'll give you one." You hope it isn't chocolate for Grim's sake. 

"Oh, henchman! What was that letter earlier by the way dazo?" You deadpanned. Grim had seen it earlier? You brace yourself with a sigh. 

"Aha! What is this?! The perfect got a love letter, hm?" Ace smirks. "Whoa, so does that mean a student on campus likes you?" Deuce gasps.

"I guess I can open it now. I really doubt anyone does." You shrug. If it blows up in your face, you're blaming Ace for it. They hold their breaths in anticipation as you open the letter. 

It simply says in neat handwriting,

Be prepared.

You gulp. You wait. It does not blow up. "That's…Is that a threat?" Deuce frowns. "Fygaa?! What d'they think they're doing threatening my henchman dazo?!" Grim growls.

"Bahaha! No guy would ever write a love letter to you!" Ace bursts into laughter. 

"No one even sent any chocolates to you, Ace!" 

"No, Trey actually made us chocolates too!"

You argue the rest of the way until you make it to class. You freeze upon entering the classroom. There, right there.

On your desk is another card. Ace bursts into more laughter while Deuce looks mildly concerned. 

"Is somebody following you…?"

Ao3: HERE

If you see it posted anywhere or by anyone else, it's not me.

Leona Kingscholar x Reader: Love Letters (4)

Ruggie's real introduction and Cater shows up! ^^ Hope you enjoy! No spoilers or warnings for now but this might change in future installments :)

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 [!] | PART 5 | PART 6 | END

It's only after third period that you remember it's Valentines day once again. After everything had occurred, the letter and gift had totally slipped your mind. At your desk, you find a handful of dandelions with a note tied to it. 

As an apology and because he forced me too, hehe.

Suddenly, it all makes sense. "That guy from earlier! He must've sent these to distract us and pre-planned to steal the sandwiches from us!" You blurt out. "What?" Deuce looks confused. "Yeah, what?" Ace raises an eyebrow. 

"Henchman, I think you're being stupid dazo." Grim shrugs. "I'm not! Look, it totally makes sense! Everything goes wrong and then I get flowers and a card apologizing!" You explain quickly. 

"Yeah, but there's no way that guy could've guessed we would get the sandwiches unless…" Deuce stops, lowering his voice to a whisper, "Unless he was eavesdropping."

"You think he's stalking us? That's how he knew where I sat and everything!" You excitedly whisper. It was the exhilaration of figuring something out. "But why target you specifically? I mean, you really don't have a lot going for you." Ace stares you up and down. You roll your eyes. "That's exactly it. I'm the magicless one here. I can't do anything to retaliate." You grumble, you've long come to terms with your position here. 

You weren't going to lay down and just take it though. A chill goes up your spine.

You whip your head toward the classroom window. There's nobody…nothing there. "Fygaa! Di-Did'ya see something there dazo!?" Grim yelps upon seeing you suddenly turn. Deuce cautiously approaches the window and looks out. 

"Um, there's nobody out here…"

Ace peeks his head out, "Hey, if there's somebody there, you better not be stalking the prefect! They're really dull and boring and it's not gonna be fun for you!"

"Hey!"

You go back to pick up the dandelions. What a strange choice of flowers. They didn't particularly strike you as romantic flowers but you guess there was that myth of blowing on dandelions to make wishes. 

"Ah, wait…" Your eyes widen as you spot another letter nestled within the dandelions. "Oh, what is it?" Deuce looks over your shoulder. "Another threat dazo!" Grim exclaims.

As you unfold it, you realize it's way longer than the first one that had simply two words. 

Good day, You're so annoying. 

"What a great starter." Ace snorts. "Shut up, I'm trying to read." Deuce hushes him with a glare as he urges you to continue. 

"Wait, you can read?"

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

You ignore them as all three of them get into an argument behind you. Your eyes are locked onto the words.

Traditions suggest that I'm supposed to be sending romantic gestures on February the 14th. If you knew who I was, I doubt you'd want to reciprocate anything. I don't care if you reciprocate or don't. 

I know I'll never be the one you love most, and that's fine. It'd be ridiculous of me to assume that. Spending time with you is enough for me to deal with. I really dislike you for making me put in this much effort right now. I don't like the way you speak and laugh, it makes me feel irritated. 

I get this feeling in my chest and I'm really hoping it's heart arrhythmia or a heart attack. It's only whenever I'm around you, you really are too dangerous to be around. 

You let out a little laugh at this. You've gained your first substantial clue. You must've talked to them before. Maybe that's why you had a sense that you had met that beastman before. 

Besides that, you should actually be careful. That weirdo probably caught wind of this and is probably watching you. 

Now this makes you concerned. You had been feeling watched the whole time but every time you checked, there was nothing. 

Seriously, why was this Valentines shaping up to be a horror instead of something romantic? 

I'm not apologizing for putting you on his radar. You probably already had his interest since you're so bizarre. It's your fault for catching my attention, of all people, anyway. 

You scoff. You didn't ask to get stalked. Why were guys at Night Raven College like this? 

Yours Truly,

That's where it ends. No signature, no name. Nothing to really identify who had sent this. 

That beastman from earlier didn't seem like a person who would write like this, but you couldn't tell from one (possibly two) encounters. 

Maybe you should just catch that beastman and ask him yourself. Yes, that's it!

"Let's catch that food thief." You declare. They all turn to you. 

"What?"

"Nyahaha! Let's make him pay dazo!" 

"Uh, but how do we do that…?" Deuce rightfully asks. You blink. "Uh, we can start by asking around." You suggest. "Honestly, this sounds like such a stupid idea." Ace scoffs. 

"But I'm in." He smirks. 

-

Cater was scrolling through his phone, on his way to his next class, when you and Grim jumped in front of him. 

"Cater!" 

"Whoa!" He laughs, seemingly out of shock. 

Behind him, Ace and Deuce spring out. Cater turns around with a smile on his face. 

"It's nice to see you guys again. How has your Valentines day been?" Cater waves casually. "This is fine. Everything's fine." You send him a shaky thumbs-up. "Uhh, what's up? You okay? You having love troubles or something, hm?" He teasingly asks. 

"Yeah…" You mutter, you're not focused on the current conversation.

"But that's not the big issue! Some furry stole our food dazo!"

Cater chokes. "D-Don't say that, Gri! You're totally going to get cancelled for that…the term is beastmen." He quickly splutters, looking around sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah." Ace rolls his eyes. 

"Uh, Cater, we actually came to ask you for your help since you know a lot of people." Deuce speaks up, reminding you all the reason you had surrounded him in the first place. "Oh? My little underclassmen are coming to me for help! Don't worry, you can rely on your super dependable Cay!" He practically squeals. 

"Agh, now you've made it weird. We should go ask Trey, c'mon." Ace groans, looking embarrassed. "No way! Come on, just ask me. I can help out!" Cater insists with a pout. You wonder if this is a ploy by Ace to get Cater to agree to helping because it seems like it's working. 

"Henchman? Yoohoo. Are ya there dazo?" Grim must've hopped onto your shoulders while you were distracted. "Is that the guy you're looking for?" Cater asks curiously. He was behind you, trying to follow your line of sight. 

Outside, there's a field. Crouched among them is a familiar head of dark blonde hair and a large pair of fluffy animal ears. "Hm, he looks like second year Ruggie Bucchi from 2-B. From his animal features, you probably already guessed he's in Savanaclaw and you'd be right! I think he's actually a hyena beastman." Cater cheerfully gives you a short description of him.

You run outside. "Fygaa! Henchman, where are you going dazo?!" Grim tumbles off your shoulder, you already know he'll land on his feet. Their shouts grow further as you exit the building.

Their voices grow further as you exit the building. You gasp. 

You run into the field and you gasp. You weren't hallucinating. That was definitely a cute tail! Oh yeah, and that food thief.

You weren't hallucinating. That was definitely a cute tail! Oh yeah, and that food thief.

Ao3: HERE If you see it posted anywhere or by anyone else, it's not me.

OMG Beautifull

Lilia!! 💚🦇

I’m really proud of this one, and I love Lilia so much he’s such a weird old man.

Incidentally, I’ve listed this pic and my other twst posters up on Etsy! You can get them HERE!

I don't Eliza has ever heard of consensual marriage before. I honestly never liked her. First, she and her ghosts invaded NRC- a place that didn't belong to them and terrorized the students. She KIDNAPPED poor Idia and forced him to be her groom without asking what he wanted. Third, she slapped all the boys who were attempting to rescue Idia (who ungratefully trash talked them in the process). And then there's Eliza's old-fashioned ideals. I could go on, but it'd get too long eheh

!! 👀 No, no! This is actually a really interesting topic of discussion, lemme word vomit my thoughts out, Anon!

I have a lot thoughts on Eliza and on the Ghost Marriage event itself, so I'd like to take this chance to share them. Please take what I say with a grain of salt, as much of it is personal interpretation based on the information presented to us in game.

***Ghost Marriage event and Groom-for-a-Day card(s) spoilers ahead!!***

You're perfectly valid in saying that you dislike Eliza. Everyone's allowed to like and to not like whatever characters they want.

I agree that many of the things she did and said were over-the-top and unwarranted, but I think that was the entire point of Ghost Marriage: to be a parody of the "traditional Disney fairy tale romance", much like how the film Enchanted was. There were just too many not-so-subtle jabs at common romance tropes for it not to be.

For example, Eliza has unrealistic expectations of her future husband, and she thinks everything will magically work out, even though Idia is clearly distressed and against the marriage. Later, when the other boys are deployed to rescue Idia, there are even more jokes made using Eliza's extreme ideals as a springboard to jump off of. Yes, it was wrong of her to slap people around, but it was played off as something to laugh at because she would always be set off by the smallest things.

The highlight here definitely has to be Leona and Trey's attempt to woo her with song. Disney is especially known for its songs in movies, and Eliza just takes that idea and runs with it. She expects her ideal prince to perfectly finish any song she starts/serenade to her, as if they're actually in a Disney musical number. Obviously, if anyone attempted that in real life, you'd react the same way the TWST boys did: with confusion.

I think Idia trash talking the rescue attempts is meant to add to the humor. There's a huge contrast in how the boys of NRC see this courtship and "romance" and how Eliza sees it--that's where both the event's conflict and where the bulk of the humor comes from.

What I personally appreciate about Ghost Marriage is that it offers a realistic portrayal of love and marriage when you look past all the silliness of the event. Well, not on Eliza’s part, but on the part of the TWST boys we all know and love.

A mistake that people outside of this fandom often make is that TWST is an otome game, based simply on the fact that the cast is all male and full of pretty boys. However, despite TWST not being an otome, the fandom is very yume-centric and romance focused, because the characters are so appealing. The fact that TWST is based on Disney properties--Disney, who is known for their interpretations of classic fairy tales and their stereotypical happily ever afters--has set up this expectation of romance.

But Twisted Wonderland, the game itself, has a very nuanced and realistic approach in how it addresses romance. It’s played mainly for laughs in Ghost Marriage (and the main story does a good job of highlighting the boys’ unsavory points), but delve into the lines spoken by the characters and the Groom-for-a-Day personal stories, and you’ll see even more of this.

The most obvious example here is our groom, Idia. From the very beginning, he expresses not wanting to marry Eliza, but it seems that this sentiment extends to beyond just Eliza. He has a very negative outlook on romance in general, which is corroborated by many of his Groom-for-a-Day lines. Idia mocks the concept of living “happily ever after” and “eternal love”. He remarks that love is an illusion created by the brain, and even points out that everyone is still a student, so they should prioritize their studies over romance.

While Idia does seem to enjoy romantic materials (games, anime, etc), Idia himself has a very cynical view of “real world” love, and he makes that abundantly clear. To me, Idia represents the person that enjoys romance in media, but is not interested in the pursuit of romance himself. He can enjoy it when he’s an observer, but to actually be involved in romance is a big turn-off.

Okay, but about Idia’s rescuers?

Let’s start with Rook. Of the TWST cast, I would say Rook is the most positive in regards to love. He’s always willing to help others out, and he’s always appreciative of things, even when they’re grim or the circumstances aren’t in his favor. Ace points out to Rook that when he goes around praising everything, it makes Rook seem less trustworthy. To this, the huntsman only says they are his true feelings--he wants to love everything equally.

Rook is a free spirit. He loves whatever and whomever he wishes when it suits him. He can be fickle, but he can also find goodness, something to admire, in everyone and everything. Rook’s love is an all-encompassing and unconditional kind.

Riddle’s personal stories don’t revolve around love in an super overt sense. It’s about him running into Malleus and discussing what makes a worthwhile leader. See, Riddle is a traditionalist (which suits his personality). He expresses that if he gets married, he wants to have a marriage like that of the Queen of Hearts and her husband, which to him was a “loyal” marriage. He wants to have a textbook definition of marriage, and that’s perfectly valid.

Riddle’s personal story also reiterates something that is mentioned briefly in the Ghost Marriage event: that Malleus is royalty, so his proposals are not to be taken lightly. 

This is a feature that helps to define Twisted Wonderland as its own separate entity from other Disney titles and properties. In Twisted Wonderland, being royalty means something. In almost all other forms of Disney media I can think of, being royalty equates to dressing fancy, being rich, and having all the power without any responsibility. But in Twisted Wonderland? They remind you every so often that this character is royalty, and there are strict terms of service and rules that come with that position, including being sheltered and burdened with royal duties (actual politics and governing), and not being able to just “love” whoever you want, even if just for a rescue mission.

Moving on to Epel! In his personal stories, he’s questioning if the “ideal prince” even exists. The line that pops out to me the most is that “the bride seems to care more about the image of an ideal prince than blood lines or family names”. This ties back into how the rest of Disney media often portrays romance as opposed to how TWST portrays it. Heck, in recent years, Disney has tried to subvert its own standing on romance (example: in Frozen, Elsa tells Anna “you can’t marry a man you just met”, whereas in Disney classics like The Little Mermaid, the plot revolves around quickly getting the main couple together).

Obviously, characters can be “perfected” with the magic of media. The image of an “ideal prince” DOES exist because of media, but Epel’s pointing out that it’s not realistic. He’s implying that Eliza is in love with the idea of perfection, and she has lost sight of things that should be important, like blood lines (genetic dispositions and diseases that could carry over to children) or family names (meeting your spouse’s family, getting to know them, etc.). It’s a criticism that can be easily overlooked while you’re too dazzled by Epel riding in on a white horse.

Lilia represents another type of person in regards to love. He’s the person that knows exactly what he wants, but not in the traditional sense. At no point does Lilia ever detail his ideal life partner. Instead, his personal stories are littered with subtle hints that Lilia has no plans to settle down. He never outright says it, but he implies it in other ways, like saying how it’s a shame that Sebek and Silver will never get to see him in a groomsuit.

I don’t think Lilia is as bitter or cynical about love as Idia is, but I think he definitely has his own reasons for not pursuing love. I don’t think it’s related to his age, since Lilia has always marched to the beat of his own drum and done whatever he likes, regardless of his age. He acts super youthful for a fae that’s several hundred years old. No, I believe Lilia just... isn’t ready, nor does he want to, commit.

I don’t have concrete proof or any real information to go off of, but Lilia was able to raise Silver just fine on his own. He may very well just be used to doing things alone, seeing as he enjoys traveling the world by himself. Not to mention, he’s a war veteran. He must have seen many of his loved ones perish in combat--so maybe that’s made him hesitant to be tied down, in case he loses more of them. The reason could be more innocent than that, like maybe Lilia just wants to focus on his duties as Malleus’s retainer, or he just likes his solitude.

In any case, Lilia lacks Idia’s cynical views on love, but he, like Idia, doesn’t plan to get married... and that’s okay. We can see that Lilia is totally happy with himself without romantic love. He has his family and duties to keep him feeling fulfilled. Lilia is a demonstration that platonic love--specifically familial love--is just as valid as romantic love.

And finally, we have Ace.

ACE.

Okay.

You can call him an asshole all you like for ghosting his ex-girlfriend, but honestly? Hats off to Ace. I’m not saying what he did was necessarily right (it’s definitely a jerk move), but it’s realistic.

First of all, it’s pretty rare in these types of games to mention canon romantic relationships at all. I think the reasoning for this is because the mere MENTION of another person being with a character that is pulled from gacha takes away from their “worth”, their “availability”. You’re less incentivized to pull for your waifu or husbando because they’re already “taken”, so good on TWST for changing it up a bit.

Alright, back to Ace’s asshole move. Remember that this dude is 16. JUST 16. Ghosting your S/O or losing interest in them is perfectly reasonable for an immature teenager to do. You’re still young and learning--and heck, many adults still do this. No one is a perfect prince. To quote Trey, “I’m just a high school boy. What do you expect from me?”

Ace is an imperfect boyfriend, despite that speech he gives to Eliza about what the “ideal” partner is like. Ace may know what he wants in a partner, but there’s no guarantee he’s prepared for a relationship himself—and that’s a reflection of what happens in real life. People are imperfect, they fuck up in relationships.

After all, real relationships are the antithesis of Eliza’s ideals.

Real relationships don’t involve one person aggressively imposing their will on their partner. It should be equal parts give and take, and it shouldn’t be rushed or forced.

Real relationships aren’t perfect. Your personality won’t fix itself because of your partner, and your partner’s personality won’t fix because of you. You’ll disagree, you’ll fight, you’ll make mistakes. That doesn’t make the relationship necessarily a bad one, it just depends on how you work together to resolve your differences and move on from the disputes.

Real relationships don’t involve perfect people, either. You’re individuals with your own strengths and weaknesses. You shouldn’t cling to your partner and act like they’re infallible--and neither should they to you.

Real relationships take time and work.

With all of that being said, we can see that TWST has a very unconventional approach to love and romance compared to its contemporaries. They make fun of many common tropes and actually have a more realistic portrayal of “love” than most other mobage I’ve seen. There are some subtle things they do that also lend to this, like not running a traditional Valentine’s Day or White Day event in February/March (instead giving us Vargas Camp), or the Halloween Groovies being actually scary art rather than being traditional fanservice art.

I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to express my appreciation of minor details like that. Ever since the Ghost Marriage rerun, and the addition of the Idia and Lilia cards, I’ve been thinking long and hard about all of this, because I personally resonate a lot with those two in their views on love. I really like the lore and the representation that their Groom-for-a-Day cards add to TWST, that love isn’t treated like this infallible solution for everything like in so many other Disney properties. 

You can praise TWST for a lot of things, but I feel this is something that isn’t appreciated enough... So I wanted to express my gratitude for it.