#rooo hunt

Part 1 (Episodes 1 + 2) here! This post covers references in Episode 3 of the event.

Many people walk dogs in Seaglass Park. It seems dogs are a popular pet in Ultramarine City! This is because the mermaid princess’s human prince—Eric—is said to have cherished dogs. In fact, he once leapt into danger to help his dog (Max). The people of Ultramarine City honor his courageous act by keeping dogs of their own and by holding dog races and grooming contests. (Side note, Jade claims that a stray cat is also a dog??? And I recall Azul also saying he had trouble telling what is and is not a dog…? But is Jade just saying this to fuck with us?? Because he, Floyd, and Azul seem to understand what dogs are in Jack’s Labwear vignettes…)

Tile crafts are popular since building materials strong against moisture and salinity are needed in a coastal town. For the same reason, ceramics are also popular. Jade mentions music boxes with ceramic figures are common. AND ARIEL PLAYS WITH A MUSIC BOX IN HER TREASURE GROTTO IN PART OF YOUR WORLD… (A music box is also what King Triton gifted Queen Athena, Ariel’s mom, before she died.) He used to find such items in shipwrecks and played with them. (We know that Jade likes to scavenge and collect things from the bottom of the sea, which is very Ariel-like!)

The Port Inn Plaza looks EXACTLY like the town square from Eric’s Kingdom 😭

In this part of the world, it’s perfectly okay to walk up to puppeteers and take their puppets to put on your own shows! The tradition started when a merman unfamiliar with land took a puppet from a performer; this ended up livening up the show and getting more audience engagement.

The puppet show the NRC students put on is reenacting Eric in the aftermath of Ariel rescuing him 😭 They recite lines about a girl with a beautiful voice having rescued them… Jade goes the extra mile and also acts out Grimsby’s lines + Max the dog’s lines OTL (Yes, barking.)

I don’t recall horses being prominent in TLM outside of the carriage date, but it’s interesting to see them being taken care of in Ultramarine City. Because the sun is so strong, they swap out horses to avoid them getting heatstrokes. The stores also sell many equestrian supplies, including mane combs and hoof brushes, wood carvings of horses, photos, paintings, and charms.

The town sells old fashioned telescopes as a popular souvenir item, even if their performance is limited. Just like how Scuttle used one!!

The mermaid princess and human prince’s wedding was held on a ship. That particular ship’s design is often depicted in story books, paintings, and in model ships.

During the couple’s date on a small boat, fish spouted water and circled them. Water guns shaped like fish have become a local specialty because of this tale.

Dancing is popular! Of course, this is a nod to Ariel and Eric’s dancing scene in the film. Yuu gets a dialogue option here; if you express not being confident in dancing, Jade tells you not to worry; no matter how bad you are at dancing, he will support you. LIKE HOW ERIC HELPED ARIEL...

Riddle and Malleus, who have only ever been taught formal dancing, feel awkward just… moving along to the music. Rook encourages their hearts to lead them and to move how they feel. While this may just be me projecting (it’s much less explicit than everything else so far), this could be a reference to the musical version of TLM. In the song One Step Closer, Eric encourages Ariel to let her emotions come through in her dancing, which is a sentiment VERY similar to the advice Rook offers his peers.

AYO A KISS THE GURL RHYTHMIC?????!?!?!?! 😳 WitH J WoRD ROWInG THE BOAt???!?!?!!?! (So they can get a preview of what the bride snd groom’s course will look like!) HALLELEIGHSH, prAISE bE \o/

LOL????? One of the crabs they caught for dinner escaped (SEBASTIAN OUTSMARTED THE CHEF)…

The plating of the crab dish is also the exact same as how Sebastian was almost served up in the film!

Mmm, that’s a hard one 🤔 I feel like there’s a handful of characters I would theoretically get along with… but friends? Like, the kind I talk to on a daily basis and go out of my way to hang out with? I gotta think really hard about this one.

In terms of dorm, I think I’d get along best with Heartslabyul. I actually have friends irl that are similar to Adeuce, so they’re already checked off. I relate to Riddle’s upbringing, so I feel like I can empathize with him. I can be pretty strict with rules too, so there’s that. I definitely feel like I’d stay on his good side with my behavior, maybe even be someone he looks to as a second Trey. Speaking of Trey, I really enjoy baking and I’d say I’m pretty good at diffusing conflicy, so he’d probably like me for the helping hand I’d be in managing Heartslabyul. The only member I’m kinda iffy on here is Cater, mostly because he’s too… sparkly and social media-oriented. I’d be polite to him, but I would feel awkward whenever he tries to socialize beyond a simple greeting. Nothing wrong with the guy, he’s just not the type of person I like to be around.

In terms of school year, I’d be friends with the first years. I can be their reliable mom friend they can turn to for snacks and advice :> They also just have the least… serious beef. Meanwhile you have Obvious Hate Boners among the second years and third years; I would feel like I have to walk on eggshells around them. (Sebek may be a bit Much, but he makes up for it with his youth; there’s still plenty of time for him to unlearn his bigotry. I don’t see the same happening for like… Jamil’s beef with Azul, Leona’s beef with Malleus or Vil or Rook, etc.)

In terms of club activity, I’d stick with the Science Club members. I looove science itself, and I feel I could help out with their activities, like research and writing papers. I also think I’d never be bored between Rook’s eccentricities and Trey trying to keep a leash in him. They balance each other out super well!

If I could pick and choose my individual friends, it’d be Heartslabyul (excluding Cater; see the reasons above), Chenya (he seems super chill and not directionally challenged like I am), Ruggie (his cheery attitude + helpfulness; we can eat the rich and take free food from events together), Ortho (we’re both logical and curious), Silver (he’s a generically nice guy and is relatively quiet), maaaaybe Jamil (we have Big Sis/Mom Energy; not sure if I can deal with his two-facedness though), and Rollo (dhksbsks I feel like we also have similar demeanors and can bond over not liking a lizard who shall not be named).

That’s true! Looking back, every character that is now “awake” has used their UM at least once:

Malleus uses Fae of Maleficence/Fae Maleficence to 7-37; this is the source of all our troubles in book 7 💀

Silver uses Meet in a Dream in 7-51, then again multiple times to dream hop and to wake up various students.

Lilia’s Far Cry Cradle is revealed in 7-81’s battle map via a flashback sequence. It is thanks to his UM that he understands the origins of the lone infant he finds in the ruins of Castle Wildrose. He blesses the baby and takes it under his wing as his own son… Silver.

Sebek’s Living Bolt, shown in 7-84, allows him to reach Silver and pull him out of the darkness that has swallowed him.

Idia uses Gate to (the) Underworld to open the gates to Tartarus and escape it in 7-114.

Book 7 confirms that Ortho is not capable of a UM, but is is his uniquely robotic ability to transfer his consciousness that allows him to adopt his Cerberus Gear in 7-50, infiltrate Sage’s Island, and return with valuable information to combat Malleus.

The magical glass coffin that Epel conjures with Sleep Kiss/Crimson Slumber in 7-135 protects Neige. It also (theoretically) slows the effects of Vil’s curse (the poisoned apple juice).

Rook uses I See You in 7-135 to tag Vil (who is sinking into the darkness of his dreams). This makes it easier for the gang to locate where Vil has gone.

Finally, in 7-138, Vil’s Fairest One of All allows him to poison Neige (who, up until this point, has been keeping tabs on him and preventing him from escaping the grasp of the dream) and rejoin with Yuu and co.

I guess since this is such a climactic book, the devs decided to go all out and have each boy show up and show off their own special power. This means we’ll most likely see the rest of the main NRC students using their UMs to help us out in the dreams! (Sasuga power of friendship…)

As for Ace! Now would be such an opportune time for him to develop his UM 😳 I believe the popular fan theory is still “Ace’s UM will allow him to copy others’ magic” since he mimics voices well and has a talent for quickly learning new skills (like dancing, as seen in book 5). And hey, if that’s the case then maybe Ace is the one who will be able to reverse Malleus’s magic if Malleus won’t willingly do it himself. Just spitballin’ here. Maybe Ace is frustrated that he can’t contribute in any way…? And then that feeling manifests as something?

How poetically ironic—the first student we meet ends up being the last to get their UM but also one of the final pieces of the puzzle to take OB Malleus down. It works out really well for Ace’s character too; he is the only character of the main cast who sees through the bullshit and calls people out, not caring about how influential or powerful they are.