A.K

Imagine the main story, but you die in the prologue. By luck, you escape being burned alive by the monster known as Grim, but you aren't so fortunate when the second monster appears. You die in the mines while trying to recover the mage stone.

Instead of a permanent inky void, you wake up right back where you started: the coffin at the entrance ceremony. You were given a second chance. Recalling your previous fate, you're able to avoid both being burned alive and being crushed by the monster in the mines.

Everything appeared to be going smoothly, you befriended Ace and Deuce and Grim then met Trey and Cater and Riddle. Until you died during Riddle's overblot. And once again, you awoke in the coffin. Surely this time would be different? Now anticipating everything that would happen, you're able to survive being stabbed through with a rosebush by Riddle Rosehearts.

Everything should be fine now, right? Well, apparently not. What you assumed was a bothersome but simple task to investigate the accidents around the Spelldrive students, led to your third death at the hands of Leona Kingscholar's signature spell reducing every part of your body to sand.

Right, now you knew how to defeat Savanaclaw's housewarden. Or so you thought. Your next demise was caused not by Leona, not even Ruggie, or Jack, but it was someone in Heartslabyul. It appears that they've become far too attached, throwing off the plot as you knew it, and leading to an earlier demise.

They're going to defeat OB Malleus!

Kinda late for the Twst x Invincible redraw party. But hey, I managed to finish this!

Surely that’s relatable? It’s not like you had a particularly bad home life, but the routine of living like this suffocates you even if you don’t know it yet, and you think “there’s no way I can keep going on like this”…

This too, wanting to keep him under their watch and only “giving up” on it not because they accept the new him but because abuse they mourn the obedient and well behaved perfect child they once had… haha

Reaching? Probably, but this part of his backstory stood out to me the more I thought on it. Initially it was funny quite literally nothing in his life happened for him to turn out like this before his kidnapping event but feeling a quiet sense of dread and resignation when you think about your future isn’t normal, yknow?

- he's holding Zooble in a way so that their parts don't fall out

- he's not squeezing Gangle so that her fragile ribbons don't get tangled

- he's not putting too much pressure on Ragatha so that she doesn't get ripped apart

- he's only holding Pomni and Jax firmly because their bodies are solid and rubbery

And this scene is right after the torture too. You would think he would be more violent, but no. He wanted to hurt them, not break them.

Caine wanted them to listen. And because they never did, he made them feel what he felt when they poked at his biggest fears and insecurities.

So after the grad student cut down the tree and discovered it was the oldest tree in the world he quit studying forestry and went to study salt flats (can’t cut down the oldest trees in the world on salt flats no siree none of that happening) and he was being interviewed about his research, but in the middle of the interview the reporter just stops and says “wait aren’t the guy that…”

most of the time he’s reduced to “the magicam guy.” the silly, social, selfie-obsessed upperclassman who talks in hashtags and trends. but that version of cater is mostly a persona he built to survive the way he grew up

it’s very obvious cater didn’t have a stable childhood when it came to relationships. his family moved constantly, meaning every few years he had to leave behind whatever friendships he had just started forming. when that happens over and over while you’re young, you eventually stop believing that relationships are meant to last

so instead of building deep connections, you get really good at building quick ones

you learn how to be charming, funny, likable. the type of person who can walk into a room and immediately get along with everyone. but those friendships stay shallow because part of you already expects them to disappear eventually. it hurts less if nobody gets too close

that’s why cater keeps everyone at arm’s length

he has acquaintances everywhere, but very few people who truly know him. and he even admits that socializing can be exhausting, which says a lot when you remember that he’s constantly performing this bright, energetic personality for others

the labwear vignette gives one of the clearest glimpses into what’s underneath that performance. mandrakes infused with magic copy aspects of the person who created them. when cater makes one, it ends up withdrawn, hugging its knees and sitting quietly. it’s gloomy in a way that doesn’t match the loud “cay-cay” persona people see every day

that contrast matters

because cater himself says that if he isn’t cheerful enough to lift people’s spirits, it “doesn’t feel like cay-cay.” in other words, happiness isn’t just something he expresses. it’s something he feels required to perform in order to be accepted

and when someone spends years performing a version of themselves that people like, it becomes difficult to believe anyone would stay for the parts that aren’t bright, entertaining, or easy

so cater keeps smiling. keeps joking. keeps posting on magicam. keeps being the guy everyone remembers as fun

because if people remember the cheerful version of him, at least they’ll remember him at all

floyd’s unpredictability isn’t random.

it’s tied very closely to how he experiences the world and how he refuses to suppress himself just to make other people comfortable.

from the moment you meet him, floyd gives off this lazy, relaxed energy. he drifts through conversations, stretches out his words, follows whatever mood he happens to be in. it makes him look carefree, almost like nothing really matters to him.

but under that relaxed attitude is something important: floyd is brutally honest.

he doesn’t pretend to care about things he doesn’t care about. he doesn’t perform politeness just because it’s expected. when he’s bored, he shows it. when he’s interested, he shows that too. there’s no filter there, and that honesty tends to make people uncomfortable.

his mood swings are a huge part of that.

people usually treat them like a joke, but they’re actually central to how floyd operates. he doesn’t force himself into emotional consistency just to be easier to deal with. when something captures his interest, he throws himself into it completely. when it stops being interesting, he drops it just as quickly.

clubs, hobbies, classes, conversations. it’s all the same pattern.

floyd refuses to fake enthusiasm.

and because of that, he lives almost entirely in the present. he chooses things based on how they feel right now, not on what he’s supposed to want long-term or what other people expect him to stick with.

that doesn’t mean he’s shallow, though. if anything, floyd is incredibly perceptive.

he notices details about people very quickly. he can switch from teasing someone to genuinely praising them in the same breath if they impress him. strength, skill, confidence, anything that stands out catches his attention immediately.

even the way he gives people nicknames reflects that.

those nicknames aren’t random. floyd names people based on the impression they give him, how they move, act, or make him feel. it’s his way of categorizing the world instinctively instead of formally.

and it’s very telling that the only people he consistently calls by their real names are jade and azul.

that alone says a lot about how differently he sees them compared to everyone else.

floyd also has a complicated relationship with control. he hates feeling restrained, whether that’s physical or emotional. early on he even describes clothing as suffocating, like being wrapped in seaweed.

but over time he grows to enjoy fashion, accessories, and especially shoes.

not because he cares about status or appearances, but because fashion lets him express himself on his own terms. it becomes another way to move, experiment, and feel comfortable in his own skin.

that same mindset shows up in the things he enjoys physically.

floyd thrives in motion. dancing, parkour, anything that lets him move freely. rigid environments frustrate him, but spaces where instinct and movement matter are where he shines.

which is probably why it’s funny that he struggles with flying classes but excels at dancing.

academically, he’s just as inconsistent.

floyd can ace exams with almost no effort or completely fail them depending entirely on whether he finds the subject interesting. jade calling him an “eccentric genius” actually fits pretty well. the intelligence is there, but floyd has absolutely no interest in proving it on anyone else’s schedule.

and despite how much he dislikes rules, he’s surprisingly cooperative when it comes to azul.

that isn’t submission. it’s simply a choice.

floyd follows azul because azul gives him direction without trying to control who he is. when azul gives him a task with a clear objective, floyd will carry it out. maybe in a chaotic way, but he’ll still do it.

even the fact that he traded away his unique magic without much hesitation says a lot about him.

power, status, reputation. those things don’t really matter to floyd.

at his core, he’s someone who refuses to live inauthentically.

he doesn’t smooth out his personality to be easier to handle. he doesn’t pretend to be stable if that’s not how he feels. he doesn’t act polite just to fit social expectations.

that’s exactly why people find him unsettling.

but it’s also why he’s one of the most emotionally honest characters in the game.

floyd lives in a way most people don’t allow themselves to. he feels what he feels in the moment and acts on it without trying to force himself into a shape that other people find acceptable.

that freedom is both his greatest strength and the main reason so many people misunderstand him.

Ramshackle Dorm used to go by another name.

It's been so long that it didn't remember the name it used to go by.

Once a well-known dorm with bustling students and magic abound. 

Gradually, other dorms appeared, and the dorm's students waned.

Over time, there were no students at all. 

With time, the upkeep stopped.

Till it was forgotten.

The dorm grew dormant. 

It didn't see a need to keep awake.

So imagine its surprise when a child showed up one day.

Worn and scared with the headmaster. It didn't understand why the headmaster couldn't take you to the other dorms, nor did it understand why he left you with the intruding cat and the ghosts who made themselves home centuries ago. 

They only let him out for events and homescreen lines now but don't worry guys he's gonna break free one day #trust 😏👉👉

(my OB Mal headcanon is that he turned everyone into actual tamagotchis) (no I will not explain) (I can't explain)

feat. my first 🐉 drawing!

Scratch, you can't run from the call of dad. Caine is actively sprinting at you

Also, the temptation to name this au Raising Caine- asefsdfaw