My ROOK HUNT Relationships Headcanons
My personal headcanons about Rook’s relationship with some characters of the cast.
[⚠️Content warnings⚠️]: spoilers (book 5, 6 & 7. Also some Rook’s cards), ooc (maybe, most in the lovers section), mentions of dr*gs, some suggestive themes, mentions of harassment, parental neglect, unusual hobbies, kidnapping.
Trey Clover, Kalim Al-Asim, Epel Felmier
His friend and fellow member of the science club. I think their relationship is a strong friendship. Trey is a patient man, capable of putting up with Rook’s eccentricity.
My headcanon is that they both see each other as close friends, close enough to share their deepest interests.
I don’t doubt that at some point they did something crazy in the club, like making explosives or planting some kind of hallucinogenic herb (if you know what I mean).
feel that, with Rook’s hobby of taking pictures of the non-human students at NRC and Trey’s obsession with dental hygiene and teeth, those two have probably made a tier list of some students’ teeth. Weird, yes, but everyone there is weird
I also wouldn’t be surprised if those two had a bit of romantic or s*xual tension between them, maybe even explored their sexuality with each other, but beyond that, I don’t really see them in a relationship.
Another member of NRC’s light trio, Kalim is a ray of sunshine, cheerful and outgoing. It wouldn’t be strange if he and Rook considered each other great friends.
I feel like those two could talk for hours and still keep their energy up. They could go running, dancing, attend one of Kalim’s parties, and still have the same cheerful attitude afterward.
After Book 5 and the VDC, I can’t help but imagine them having karaoke nights or doing movie marathons of Neige’s films.
Kalim has mentioned that, as the first son and heir of the Al-Asim family, he has faced multiple poisoning and/or kidnapping attempts. And although NRC, with its magical barrier (as mentioned in Book 6), is a safe place, I wouldn’t be surprised that, if their friendship continue in the future, Rook would be capable of protecting Kalim from such threats. Let me explain. Rook has highly developed senses and is an excellent hunter; he can perceive and notice things that others wouldn’t at first glance. He also has a presence that can be quite intimidating, in addition to knowing magic and archery. If Jamil weren’t around and Kalim couldn’t defend himself with magic, I feel Rook could step in to help, and maybe even scare the kidnapper for life.
Epel, first-year student from Pomefiore, who has been taken under Vil’s care, guidance, and protection more than any other student. Without a doubt, Epel and Rook are good friends.
Since Rook is his superior and vice housewarden, he’s in charge of looking after and keeping an eye on him. And while I don’t doubt that Rook would tell Vil everything, I think it depends on what Epel can offer in return for Rook to keep quiet and not snitch on him if he does something Vil forbids (like speaking in his accent, btw, I’m 100% sure Rook loves and finds it beautiful).
I also have the headcanon that, with Vil’s approval and supervision, Rook taught Epel how to use a bow. And of course, Epel would be happy to finally do something in Pomefiore that isn’t ballet. I also feel that Rook could teach him other useful skills, like how to identify nearby animals, recognize their tracks, and tell which fruits or berries are edible and which aren’t, among other things.
Since Rook’s family has teleports in various parts of Twisted Wonderland, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had one close enough to Epel’s hometown for Rook to visit him, meet his family, and maybe even bring Vil along so they can reminisce about their old days at NRC.
We don’t have much canon information about Rook’s family other than the following: he has 2 parents (lol), 2 older siblings, and 3 younger siblings. We also know that his family is wealthy and holds some influence (since they own teleportation gates in several places across different countries, which Epel mentions requires a special permit from the gov). It’s also canon that his parents lost Rook in a jungle for about 6 to 9 months, and he wasn’t found until a rescue team discovered him collapsed on the ground. (Parents of the year, huh?) Rook also mentions that family gatherings are chaotic, with lots of people, and that they don’t happen very often. Also, the last canon fact we know is that his parents gave him two tickets to a play for his birthday.
Taking all this information, I have a few small headcanons.
His family is big and travels quite often. Rook is the middle child, which probably makes him the “forgotten” one, not old enough to have responsibilities, but not young enough to be protected. Since his family is already large and chaotic, it’s likely that they didn’t pay much attention to him, which could explain how he got lost and ended up living in the jungle for all those months.
Also, based on my headcanon (and from what Rook himself says about his childhood behavior and clear hyperfixations), I believe Rook could be on the autism spectrum. That might have made his parents and siblings pay even less attention to him, seeing him as a “weird” child who couldn’t properly express his emotions.
Still, I feel that his family loves him, in their own way. And while that’s not justifiable, Rook doesn’t seem to hold a grudge against them. What his family does give him, without a doubt, is financial support and enough freedom for him to pursue his hobbies and do his own thing.
Since Rook had trouble expressing his emotions as a child, it was through theater and cinema that he learned how to express himself, transforming into the theatrical and dramatic man we know today. One of the figures who guided him was Neige.
To Rook, Neige is an angel, a kind, noble, and gentle being. He has been his fan for many, many years, his number one (well, 000000000000000000002) supporter. He collects all his merch, has an itabag, plushies, goes to every fan meeting, writes fanfics, and would even get his autograph tattooed. He adores him. He adores him the way one adores a celestial being. Sometimes, Rook might even forget that Neige is still human, a being who suffers, who bleeds, but he loves him. He will always support him, no matter what.
However, when it comes to Neige and Vil, he’s more objective. Because that heavenly love he feels for Neige, he also feels for Vil.
Vil Schoenheit, Leona Kingscholar & both
To Rook, Vil is a god on earth. His queen. I have no doubt that he loves him with all his humble hunter’s heart. But that love can sometimes become obsessive. As we saw in Chapter 7, if Vil hadn’t been at NRC, Rook would never have transferred to Pomefiore. So we can infer that the main reason Rook transferred was because of him. Rook would follow Vil to the ends of the earth.
I have several headcanons, there’s so much to analyze about their relationship. You could write a whole essay just about the two of them, lol.
I feel like Vil was physically attracted to Rook when he was still in Savanaclaw. He wasn’t his ideal type, but he couldn’t deny that Rook looked hot. Rook’s haircut change was his own idea. He wanted to impress Vil and look more handsome for him. And even if Vil won’t admit it, he liked that wild air about him.
Rook is Vil’s right-hand man, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they spent a lot of intimate time together, like doing each other’s makeup, bathing together, feeding each other. These two have seen everything about one another and know everything about the other. They are capable of reading each other and seeing through each other’s masks. Although, of course, they have the patience and respect to understand that if the other keeps certain things private, it’s for a reason.
Vil was Rook’s first gay crush. When he saw him perform for the first time, he fell in love with him.
If Vil was Rook’s first gay crush, Leona was his first boyfriend. Ok, hear me out, now I’m going to explain my headcanon, but first, let’s look at the canon information we have about both of them.
Leona and Rook have an interesting relationship. Rook has a crush on Leona, 100%, he’s always watching him and commenting on how handsome and fierce he looks. On the other hand, Leona seems exhausted by Rook, annoyed that he’s always observing him, bothering him, and with all his energy. Also, if we consider that Leona has been at NRC for five years, 1 year he wasn’t there and 1 year he repeated, then we can infer that when Rook entered as a first-year, Leona was in second-year.
Leona mentions that he currently doesn’t have a vice housewarden, but he had several in the past. My headcanon is that one of his vice housewardens was Rook, back when Rook was still in Savanaclaw. I think that, as his vice housewarden, Rook had the chance to get to know Leona, spend time with him, and even have a small romance. My headcanon is that before Rook met Vil, he and Leona had an intense romance, characterized by playful rivalry and a “hunter-prey” dynamic. I also think that Leona was Rook’s first time, his first boyfriend, his first kiss, his first s*xual experience, but not his first love. That first love was Vil.
After Rook transferred, Leona saw it as a betrayal, which explains the strange nature of their current relationship.
Now, both of them, and my headcanon/view of their current relationship. For me, Leona is Rook’s ex. Buttttt… Vil’s partner. Yes, LeoVilRook canon. But how? Vil and Leona are a couple, all those interactions, all those looks, they’re together. And what does Rook think? A mix of fascination, arousal, and jealousy. Fascination, because it’s Roi du Lions and Roi du Poisons who are together. The queen of Pomefiore and the king of Savanaclaw. The most handsome man in Twisted Wonderland and the second prince of Sunset Savanna. Two strong, beautiful men with huge personalities. Arousal, because, well… he still has a crush on both. He fantasizes about being with them. But why doesn’t he? To be the Rouxls Kaard of the relationship. He won’t allow himself. And that’s why there’s jealousy, he knows they’re both out of his league, that they’re not made for him. So he observes, watches from afar like a hunter would, adoring them in the distance. And he’ll probably never have the courage to be honest about his feelings toward them.
But if the three of them were together… Leona is top, Vil is switch, and Rook is bottom ;D