#neii

The Shroud parents are my personal favourites since I love their dynamic with each other and with their sons and the fact that they sorta mirror Hades and Persephone relationship in myths where they are one of the only couples out of the Greek gods and goddesses who have a healthy relationship.

That's not to say that couples like Maleanor and Raverne, Falena and his wife, Sebek's parents and Georgina and her husband aren't healthy, it's just that the Shroud parents are the only parents that appear with each other and showcase their relationship in-game.

[ Referencing this post! ]

As I said in the original post, I have already indicated how much I like each character in my personal tier list. Please reference it for a quick visual comparison of where everyone stands.

If you meant to ask why do I feel the way that I do about them, then that’s what I can get into here. I’ve added a few extras to your list, since I think you may have forgotten to include them ^^;; (Note that family members that we did NOT meet face-to-face are not included.)

Dylla (like) — Badass single mom who’s just doing her best 🥺 Dylla’s not perfect!! She has money problems, she can’t garden to save her life, she sucks at learning new tech, she babies her son, she worries if she is parenting “correctly” or not… She’s a very realistic portrayal of a mother and I really appreciate that.

Maleanor (like) — Admittedly, this is less about her personality (because her personality is extremely similar to Malleus’s, who inhabits the bottom tier) and more because of what she was willing to sacrifice + the intrigue that provides the story. Malenor laid her life down so that her son could have a chance to survive. She told Lilia he was capable of love. Those are such great moments. Another plus for Maleanor is that the narrative doesn’t treat her like her temperament is supposed to be endearing (which they decide to do for Malleus 💀); Lilia rightfully complains about how bad it is.

Baur (slightly like) — He’s a little grating at times (with all his shouting and patriotism), but overall a very interesting guy. I love how he’s such a stubborn and loud tsundere about everything. I only wish Twst would utilize Baur’s prejudiced views on humans (which still exist today) for someone more than a punchline for a joke.

Cheka (slightly like) — Cheka is alright; so far, I don’t see how he’s any different from the curious and hyperactive kid trope. He’s only in the tier that he is because I enjoy the headaches he causes Kifaji and Leona.

Shroud Parents (slightly like) — I think these guys are kinda boring if I’m being entirely honest. I have mixed thoughts on them being as loving and accepting as they are because I think there was a missed opportunity here to explore how loss of a family member shatters the family that remains. Like we skipped over the most interesting part about the Shroud family’s dynamic :/ They’re in this tier mostly because I think Mrs. Shroud hacking into Idia’s files is funny + I’ve come to enjoy their cute moments as a group. Additionally, they did a LOT to support us in book 7, so they deserve their stars.

Marja (tolerate) — Most of the stuff she does is very welcoming and honestly super wholesome. HOWEVER, I personally don’t like her competitiveness or how she gets explosive at times. The good and the bad traits basically even the scales.

Dawn Knight and Leah (tolerate) — Perhaps the blandest, most generically nice parental figures of the cast. The only remotely interesting thing about them is the Dawn Knight’s moral struggle, but this was not written well enough to justify a boost to the next highest tier.

[My full thoughts on the book 7 part 11 Leona update here!]

I think that’s the implication, yes…! Especially if you subscribe to the “dream!Kifaji was born from Leona’s remaining hope, conscience, and/or self-awareness that this is a dream” idea. (I discuss that more in detail here!)

This is particularly meaningful because Leona has previously expressed that he saw no value in NRC schooling. He feels like he already knows everything because of his own intelligence and because of the high-quality education that was afforded to him as royalty. Leona doesn’t bother going to classes in part because he thinks there’s nothing new they can teach him. He can easily ace the exams without so much as studying.

But the fact that dream!Kifaji told Leona to go to where he belongs… back to reality, with his real dorm members… Maybe that’s a part of himself acknowledging that Savanaclaw is where is he needed and wanted. Jack and Ruggie made their thoughts on the matter clear in their own dreams. In their happiest fantasy worlds, Leona is there and thriving as their leader in some way, shape, or form. They make that clear when they’re fully awake, too. They’re going to wake up their king, they’re going to save their dorm leader. And now Leona, too, is realizing that this is where he should be.