♱i want to tear you apart♱

hi lottie! thanks for the ask! this admittedly wasn’t easy to answer especially when i have so many thoughts for ruggie’s character, but for the sake of simplicity, i choose to create hcs of ruggie—specifically how he would be as a “friend” of yuu post chapter 2

as the only character to grow up in poverty from the main cast, ruggie has a much different life from his peers. as a result, there is a level of disconnect. while not discussed about, i wholly believe it is there and thus, impacts how he interacts with the world. ruggie makes lots of connections, being described as a “shark sucker” by floyd for how often he clings to others for their wealth. considering his background as a student from poverty, it makes sense. 4 years in a prestigious college to the rest of his life is really not all that much time. he’s got to make the best of it. so, ruggie appears friendly and amiable but these relationships are not friendships.

the closest thing we see to a friendship is with his dormmates: leona kingscholar and jack howl. however, whenever leona or ruggie refers to each other as “friends,” it is meant sarcastically, with both parties using the other for their purposes (leona using ruggie to do his chores, ruggie taking leona’s $/jewelry/notes). as for jack, he is shown to earnestly want to help ruggie (jack’s dorm vignette) & admires the hyena for staying by leona’s side even after the lion’s betrayal (chapter 3) yet ruggie seems to distrust jack’s motives, believing the wolf wants something from him. this makes me believe that ruggie views most of his relationships in nrc, at least, as transactional

so, being ruggie’s friend, especially chapter 3, is admittedly transactional. he will not call you friend—most students at nrc won’t, at least not genuinely. but i do see him willing to put up with certain things more, especially if he feels the need to repay any action. the most prominent example is in chapter 3, where he offered yuu savanaclaw as a place to stay. although this is primarily depicted via the savanaclaw npcs, the group seems protective of their space and don’t want outsiders to join. so the fact yuu is offered that space is telling. i think he’d do the same for food (TO SOME DEGREE) especially if he thinks your food options is better

he WILL take advantage of you. throughout his time in nrc. like i said, he doesn’t view his relationships in nrc as friendships—or at least in the traditional sense. he even remarks in his relax in room vignette that his roommate scratches his back and he scratches his. so i believe unless you ask for things, it will be unequal. but he does try to help you when you need it, straining as little effort as possible—especially if there seems to be no benefit. he doesn’t work for free but he does help out. it’s his way of caring—as much as he can for his relationship in nrc

like how leona views the world as a chess game, with ppl as the pieces, i ultimately believe that ruggie is always thinking of how he can best utilize the connections in his life. if the world is a lion eat lion world, then he wants to make the connections to the right lion, say the right thing, that best benefits him. and if he’s actively seeking out your connection the most, thinking of ways he can best be benefitted from you… thats the closest sign from ruggie that he likes you. he does the same with leona, sucking up to him specifically because he admires him so much as a leader. despite all the flaws of one leona kingscholar, ruggie looks for all the reasons he can stay just so he can be by his side. the same goes for you: the more you’re being used… weirdly enough, the more he likes you. strange, isn’t it?

i genuinely believe you need to be willing to understand ruggie and his desperation—specifically his amorality, to see his perspective and become close. the closest is leona because to some degree, leona understands ruggie’s position in life. ofc, it’s certainly not a 1-1; despite leona saying a second prince is the same as being a commoner, their struggles couldn’t be more different. but it’s their desire, their desperation, their need to seize the chance, even if it exists just for a moment, that unifies them together. it’s why ruggie is allowed to get away with so many things that leona wouldn’t tolerate with others (making leona eat veggies, taking leona’s jewelry, going through leona’s items, taking more $ from leona than needed/handling his wallet etc). it’s leona’s understanding (esp of their shared desire to “turn the world upside down, seeing their dorm song, diadem) that causes ruggie to care about leona past an employer/employee relationship. the same goes for you.