Childhood
Jamil says he has “been babysitting Kalim since we were children. It’s in the Viper family’s job description,” and the earliest Jamil-Kalim interaction we have heard of is possibly from before Jamil started elementary school: he tells a story about “fetching Kalim for some event or other” only to walk in on Kalim in a room full of gemstones, and, “It didn’t occur to me how strange it was until I was in elementary school.”
It is a little unclear if Jamil had been sent to fetch Kalim for the event in his role as a child-servant or if he had simply been asked to do his parents a favor, and how old he was at the time (possibly no older than age 5 depending upon how soon he was enrolled in school after that experience, as he has a September birthday and the anecdote was describing a Halloween event).
When Azul describes his relationship at NRC with the twins as “an elaborate game of pretend” Jamil says their relationship is confusing, and that he has been “a servant of the Asim house since (he) was born. Masters are masters, and servants are servants. And that will likely never change.”
Jamil says he has been cooking since he was a child (“The adults in the kitchen taught me how to properly fillet a fish”) and describes a time when he was in elementary school and Kalim told him to cook for him, but Jamil got in trouble with the adults for trying to use fire on his own. His age at the time is not specified, but he was possibly between 6 and 12 years old.
Jamil has possibly only started cooking everything Kalim eats since enrolling at NRC, with Kalim saying that his “home has its own kitchen staff, and Jamil’s made (his) meals” since he enrolled, but Jamil talks about being expected to make lunch for Kalim’s family several times a year, so it seems there are times he cooks for Kalim even when they are home (“Though to be fair, I do get help from the master chefs who work in the kitchen”).
It is not specified from what age Jamil has been cooking for Kalim and his family, so possibly possibly 17 years old or younger.
After Kalim was poisoned four years ago Jamil has been ensuring that “anything hazardous is identified and disposed of before it crosses (Kalim’s) plate.”
Kalim says that Jamil became ill after eating curry that was meant for him “a long time ago” but it is maybe not explicitly said that Jamil has been serving as Kalim’s poison tester since the age of 13, though we know that Jamil eats potentially poisoned food before it reaches Kalim at NRC, as seen in Book 4 and hinted at during Spectral Soiree.
We hear about things that Kalim and Jamil experienced together as children from Kalim in Book 7, who says talks about a time he, Jamil and Kalim’s father went to a rug merchant where Kalim stepped on a vintage silk carpet with muddy shoes. During the Firelit Sky event Jamil apologizes to the merchant for Kalim’s behavior, saying that Kalim was “very young and didn’t know any better,” but their exact ages are not specified.
Kalim also mentions a time when they “snuck out of the manor to visit the Camel Bazaar and drank coconut juice together,” but Jamil corrects him with, “As if you didn’t sneak out on your own, and I had to scramble after you” (Idia: “Jamil’s irrepressible urge to correct misstatements is setting him off!”).
Kalim says that Jamil went to school when they were children while he was homeschooled, but, “Whenever I cried about not understanding a question in my homework, Jamil would always show me how to solve it.”
Jamil was the first of the two to use magic, with Kalim saying that Jamil would use his magic to “help the grown-ups,” possibly Kalim’s other servants.
Jamil has a voice line of, “I’ve practiced dancing since I was a child…by which I mean I had to tag along when Kalim wanted to do it,” but he also talks about going to the park on the same property as Kalim’s family’s mansion during breaks from his servant duties, where he would practice dancing.
Kalim reveals that he would use the park’s security feeds to find Jamil and join him (Trey: “Jamil can’t catch a break even on his breaks…”), and while we do not know how old they were it was presumably before enrolling at NRC, possibly around age 15 or younger.
Kalim talks about playing “kick-the-can ’til the sun went down” (“I won every game”), while Cater comments, “Jamil totally took a dive” and “Poor guy’s been driven half neurotic.”
Jamil talks about a time Kalim let the estate’s animals out of their cages, saying, “Do you have any idea how much of a nightmare it was getting them back” and “We had to call in all the staff to surround them,” so he may have been involved in that incident as well, at an unspecified age (Cater: “You’ve had it rough for years, huh, Jamil?”).
Jamil says, “The incident led to a full review of the animals’ living conditions. The cages were subsequently removed,” and while Kalim responds, “Now they all get to live even more comfortably. Good for them!,” Cater follows with, “…Hats off to you, Jamil.”
Kalim mentions sneaking into treasure rooms at his family home “so many times as a kid,” to which Jamil responds, “Yes, and caused a huge panic every time,” so he may have been involved in those incidents as well, presumably prior to NRC and around the age of 15 or younger.
Kalim says that he and Jamil have been going to the fireworks festival since they were children, that performing at Fairy Gala him “of the old days when (they) used to play together,” and tells Jamil, “It’s been years since we’ve played a serious game of tag with each other” prior to Beanfest.
Trey comments on Jamil carrying an umbrella on a clear day and Kalim says that he and Jamil would play around the fountain on his family’s property “all the time when (they) were kids” (Trey: “Ah, so the umbrella’s for Kalim specifically”).
Jamil tells Kalim, “I’d bring a change of clothes and towels to dry you off,” but it is not specified how old they were at the time.
In Book 7 Kalim describes what seems to have been a more recent event than his anecdotes from their childhood: an incident that occurred “just before” they enrolled at NRC where Jamil used his unique magic to “make the bad guys fight each other,” though it is not specified if that was Jamil’s first time using his unique magic in front of Kalim or exactly how old they were (possibly around 15/16?).
Jamil says that “Middle school was the first point in (his) life where (he) had some time and space to (him)self,” and as he says that “Some days (he) just didn’t want to go straight home after school,” it seems that his middle school was not a boarding school and he was still going to home to Kalim during those three years.
That would make Jamil’s acceptance at NRC the first time in his life that he had both freedom and privacy that Kalim could not compromise, taken away from him two months later when Kalim enrolled.
Jamil seems to suspect that it was less so a matter of Kalim’s admittance being overlooked and mores a result of Crowley’s interference, saying, “Knowing the headmage, he probably arranged for a backdoor admission so he could get some generous Asim family donations. And just like that, my nice, free campus life went up in smoke,” but this is unconfirmed (as of this writing).
Kalim’s Family
Jamil has multiple lines about protecting the Asim family’s reputation, saying, “It wouldn’t do for an attendant of House Al-Asim to not uphold tradition,” and, “It would be an embarrassment to House Asim if I served anything less than the best.”
When Kalim fails to appear for a parade of his own creation Jamil refuses to take Kalim’s place, saying, “That would destroy Kalim’s reputation,” and saving the situation from the sidelines, saying, “The Asim family never presents anything less than excellence. Not while I’m around, at least.” (Kalim: “I did great, didn’t 1?” – Jamil: “Yes, I saw. Well done…more like ‘well done, me.’”
In Book 4 Kalim tells Jamil, “I’ll win back the housewarden seat you’ve stolen from me,” and Jamil responds, “YOU’RE the one who stole everything from ME!,” possibly in reference to his childhood: in a flashback Jamil explains that his earliest memory as a child was seeing his family bow before Kalim and his parents, saying that he “couldn’t stand the sight of it,” but “Kalim’s parents were far more important than mine. Therefore, Kalim was more important than me,” so he was forced to “keep (him)self beneath (Kalim),” with Crowley telling Jamil that Kalim’s family was “quite generous in their support” to the school” and he “must make certain…compromises,” when Jamil asks why Crowley would allow Kalim to be promoted to Housewarden.
Leona: “Were you repressed growin’ up or something?”
Jamil says that his parents and the Asim family do not know the real reason he overblotted, which seems to insinuate that they do know it happened, and he intends to continue to prove himself to those around him, including the Asim family.
Tasks for Kalim
Jamil seems to have a wide range of duties as Kalim’s servant, such as waking him up in the morning (Kalim: “Jamil’s usually the one who comes to wake me up”), and possibly putting him to bed: Kalim tells Riddle, “Whenever | yawn in Scarabia, Jamil prepares my bed for me!,” and we see him reminding Kalim to get a full night’s sleep.
Jamil also seems to help Kalim get dressed, though on screen we have maybe only seen Jamil dressing Kalim in his ceremonial robes. When asked if he can magically change his clothes Kalim says, “I can handle my school and dorm uniforms. Though I sometimes get them backwards when I’m in a hurry,” so it is maybe unclear if Jamil also helps dress him in his school and dorm outfits or if he is able to dress himself, as it seems he does not wrap his own bandana: he volunteers Jamil to teach Trey how to wrap a bandana that Trey buys during Firelit Sky (Trey: “You don’t wrap yours yourself?!”).
We also hear about Jamil helping Kalim dress himself for New Years, with Kalim saying, “I couldn’t figure out how to tie the cords around my head and at the sides here, so l asked Jamil for help. He looked up how to do it and tied them all up for me.”
Jamil arranges Kalim’s sash for him during the first Fairy Gala, and when Kalim wakes up from the cold during the second Fairy Gala he stays in bed until Jamil arrives and tells him to put on a coat.
In a vignette Kalim decides to wake up and get dressed by himself for his birthday. He struggles with how to use a faucet, so it was possibly his first time trying to get ready on his own in the morning. Ultimately his dorm-mates help with his makeup, and Kalim tells Jamil to style his hair.
Jamil might usually be in charge of Kalim’s makeup (we see him applying it on Kalim’s behalf in a ceremonial robes vignette), but Jamil says that “even Kalim” is capable of working with cosmetics, “not that he’s particularly good at it.”
When Kalim considers cutting his own hair in the Lantern event Jack responds, “PLEASE let Jamil handle cutting your hair,” but it is maybe not confirmed that Jamil is usually in charge of cutting Kalim’s hair in addition to styling it in the morning (the Lantern event may have been a special case).
Jamil seems to be in charge of keeping Kalim on schedule, seen fetching him for a dorm meeting in a vignette and chasing him through the halls to try and keep him on time for the opening ceremonies, and reminding him to not be late for a club meeting. Jamil also walks Kalim to his classes.
Kalim says he has made it a rule “not to touch anything other than food Jamil’s made personally,” due to risk of poisoning. While sometimes the game uses vague phrasing such as “I fell ill after eating things that were prepared for me by others” or explaining a curry aversion being due to “a bad experience,” in Book 5 Kaim says outright that he has had his food poisoned before.
Another of Jamil’s tasks is serving as Kalim’s poison tester. While we do not know exactly from what age he has been doing so it has been long enough for him to have been poisoned in Kalim’s place at least once, and he continues to fulfill the role despite having been “bedridden for days on end” as a result.
Jamil says he makes “it a point to research toxins,” Jamil’s tasks also seem to include being able to formulate antidotes and medicine for Kalim, as seen in Book 5 and Fairy Gala, and Kalim says that Kamil always makes wake-up potions for him of when he attends ceremonies or housewarden meetings.
At the conclusion of Jamil’s dream Kalim is forced to stay behind after taking too much damage from his fight with Jamil (who is described as being “perfectly fine”) and Jamil magically conjures him an ice pack.
Jamil explains, “There would be consequences for my entire family if (Kalim) were exposed to any danger,” and there are multiple examples of Jamil protecting Kalim from physical harm (protecting his own family in the process): when Sebek accidentally follows new students into Scarabia after the opening ceremonies Jamil is suspicious, as “Orientation presents a perfect opportunity for outsiders to sneak inside the school.”
Jamil advises caution, and when Kalim goes up to Sebek anyway Jamil questions him and verifies that his magical pen is genuine. Kalim calls Jamil a “worrywart” and Jamil responds, “As an attendant of the Asim household, it is my duty to protect you.”
Assuming that Jamil is a bodyguard like himself, Sebek is impressed, apologizing for his imprudence: “Your discretion is admirable, really…I could learn a thing or two from you.”
Jamil saves Kalim from danger when Kalim falls off his magic carpet in a vignette, and saves him from falling off the carpet again during Tsumsted.
When Kalim trips over a stepladder Jamil first responds with magic to save him, but Jamil’s tsum goes to Kalim’s rescue itself (Jamil: “Did the tsum just rush to protect Kalim…?”).
After taking up residence in Ramshackle for the VDC training camp Jamil asks to share Kalim’s room or take on adjacent to his, as Ramshackle is less secure than Scarabia. Kalim calls Jamil paranoid and Jamil responds, “If something happens to you then I, as your servant, am going to find myself in a difficult situation.”
The night that Ace, Deuce and Grim are cursed by Vil in the kitchen Jamil says, “I heard a bunch of noise last night and leapt out of bed. I thought someone was attacking.”
Jamil gets physically in front of Kalim to protect him from CHARON at the beginning of Book 6 and, during his evaluation at STYX, Idia says, “He’s really quick and precise with defensive magic. Maybe that’s his specialty, since he guards Kalim?”
It is unclear how long Jamil has been taking responsibility for Kalim’s physical safety, but Kalim mentions a time from “just before” they enrolled at NRC when Jamil used his unique magic “to make the bad guys fight each other.” Though we do not have any further details on who “the bad guys” were or what exactly happened, Kalim says, “That’s the whole reason we made it home.”
In Book 2 we see Kalim almost reveal Jamil’s unique magic to others, and in Book 4 Kalim says that he has made a promise to never tell anyone who is hypnotizing him, later revealed to be Jamil, but it is maybe not specified if this promise was made after meeting with “the bad guys” pre-NRC or if there was a separate incident that led to it.
When Jamil’s dream begins to collapse into an abyss the floor gives out beneath Kalim, and Jamil dives into it to protect him. Jamil also seems to spend a significant amount of effort protecting Kalim during battles against darkness in Book 7, with Kalim running ahead and jumping out without warning.
Jamil says, “Getting injured here would make you a liability. Focus on protecting yourself, and fight where I can see you,” and Kalim responds, “You can be such a nag sometimes. But hey, that’s just who you are!”
After their battles Kalim says that Jamil “saved (him) a bunch” with his magic.
In addition to protecting Kalim we also see Jamil use a barrier to protect Floyd, Ruggie and Ortho at the start of Spectral Soiree, and Grim and the prefect in Azul’s dream.
In Tartarus Jamil tries to protect Leona in the same way as he seems to be accustomed to protecting Kalim, insisting on walking first into a trap, on standing between Leona and Ortho, and playing a video game that Ortho produces, saying, “What if the controller is rigged to electrify anyone who touches it?”
When he loses the game Jamil declares, “I’m prepared to pay the price, even if it means my life.”
Jamil tells Leona to stay close to him, offers Leona his jacket when it gets cold, and says he will go in alone to check an area that is too dark to see in for Phantoms. Leona asks, “What are you on about?,” and Jamil explains, “You’re the second prince of the Sunset Savanna and a housewarden. It only makes sense that I should take point…I wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility if anything happened to you…”
Leona is not amused, but Jamil insists on continuing to stand between Leona and danger, saying, “There’s no point trying to explain things to him. I’ll just do my job.”
Jamil ultimately gets injured trying to protect Leona from harm, but when Leona says he would rather be with Azul than the extra weight that is Jamil, Jamil responds, “Unlike Azul, I have actual training as a bodyguard.”
Towards the end, however, Jamil reflects, “He might be a housewarden, but he couldn’t be more different from my own. Leona’s magic really is incredible. It’s so potent and efficient. And I thought I could protect this guy?”
Jamil says that he does not find cooking to be “particularly engaging” and he is not Kalim’s personal chef, but his tasks still involve cooking for Kalim, who has made it a rule to only eat food that Jamil has made personally.
Jami lsays that he has been cooking since he was a child, and we learn an example of this in a vignette where Kalim explains that, back when they were both children, he had Jamil make moussaka for him. Jamil says, “My parents and the other servants scolded me for hours about how children shouldn’t use fire on their own,” as he was still in elementary school at the time. It seems that Kalim was unaware of the trouble that Jamil got into for trying to do as he’d been told, and after he apologizes he follows with telling Jamil to make it for him again.
When Azul says he would like to sample it as well and possibly add it to Mostro Lounge’s menu Jamil says no, but Kalim follows with, “Awww, don’t be like that.”
When Jamil comments on Azul not being able to relax and eat on Halloween Azul responds, “Like you have room to talk…Why don’t you stop guarding Kalim and enjoy the party for a bit?,” and Kalim agrees, but Jamil says, “Your complete lack of vigilance is exactly why I can’t have time to myself…I was talking about safety, not the quality of the food.”
It seems there are exceptions that can be made to Kalim’s rule of only eating what Jamil cooks, with Jamil being against the idea of Kalim participating in the Master Chef course but Kalim wanting to do it anyway. Kalim says, “Jamil was kinda busy leading up to it, though.”
In another vignette Jamil and Kalim are seen eating in the cafeteria which, according to Ruggie, seems to be a rare occurrence. Jamil and Kalim explain that Jamil normally prepares lunch in advance, but Kalim decided to eat both their lunches the night before, leaving both him and Jamil without anything to eat. Jamil says, “We’re lucky the lunch here is a buffet, so there’s no need to check for poison.”
Kalim insists on standing in line in order to compensate for having eaten all their food the day before and then gets the wrong lunch for Jamil, forgets a spoon and runs with Jamil’s hot stew, which he spills.
Afterwards Jamil says, “We only came here for lunch. Why do I feel so exhausted?,” and when Kalim suggests that they eat in the cafeteria more often Jamil refuses, saying, “I never want to venture into the cafeteria again, so please…no more late-night snacking.”
In Book 2 Jamil is injured by Ruggie while cooking for Kalim in the school cafeteria, and he meets the prefect and Grim in Book 4 also in the school cafeteria, also while cooking for Kalim.
When Kalim temporarily moved into Ramshackle Dorm in Book 5 he brings luggage that is over half comprised of containers full of food that he had Jamil make for him.
Jamil provides food to Kalim and the rest of the library group twice during the Lantern event, and when Jack and Deuce begin arguing Kalim says that if the get hungry again he can get Jamil to make them more.
Jamil says that he does not eat in the cafeteria that much as he makes his own lunch on the side every day in addition to what he prepares “for someone,” but when pressed for details he says, “I just throw something together using whatever ingredients happen to be on hand at the time.”
Trey says, “You’re talking like that’s simple, but that sounds harder than pre-planned cooking,” and Jamil responds, “I suppose it does require improvisational skills not everyone has. I used to take requests, but that came with its own set of problems. I’d ask Kalim what he wanted to eat the next day, and he’d say, ‘Oh, just make something simple like minced-meat cutlets,’ as if it’s that easy. He has NO IDEA how much work goes into making anything deep-fried!”
Jamil says he makes soups for lunches the day before, putting them in insulated containers for Kalim.
Jamil makes a hot egg-salad sandwich for Deuce during New Year, and a ho drink with coconut milk and fresh tapioca pearls for Kalim.
When asked about “any fun memories” about Kalim’s family home, Jamil says,
“For meals, staff either bring something from home, or we have food provided for us here. But there was this one time when I couldn’t bring my own lunch. Because after I made it, my sister absconded with it. There was no staff meal being offered that day, so I went to the kitchen and made lunch for myself. And since I was using the mansion’s kitchen, I made enough to share with my coworkers.
But then they started talking about how good my cooking was. Word reached Kalim’s mother and father, and they told me they wanted to try some. Which led to me having to make lunch for the Asim family. I was going to make a multi-course meal featuring lamb, but they said they wanted to have what I normally ate…So I made wet burgers.
They’re hamburgers soaked in tomato sauce. The bun absorbs the sauce like a sponge, giving it a soft texture…They’re a popular street food here…People here eat it all the time, but (Kalim’s parents) had never had it before…Now they expect me to make family lunch several times a year. Though to be fair, I do get help from the master chefs who work in the kitchen.”
Kalim says, “I wanted more people to try it, so I started inviting lots of different people over for those meals,” and Jamil explains, “And these were not the sort of people who should be served simple home cooking from an amateur. You wouldn’t believe how hard I racked my brain in the lead-up to those lunches…”
Kalim is often inviting other people to eat what Jamil cooks without receiving consent from Jamil, which is the basis of both his and Jamil’s dorm vignettes: Kalim unilaterally invites Crowley to Scarabia, saying, “Jamil will make you all sorts of traditional dishes to try,” giving Jamil less than a day to prepare the feast and also putting him in charge of decorating.
Jamil goes to Trey in order to meet the deadline, promising to prune all of Heartslabyul’s rose bushes in exchange for his help (“I clearly got the short end of the stick in terms of workload here. He completely took advantage of me and my predicament”).
Discovering that Jamil already has pre-marinaded meat for them to use Trey comments, “Somehow I get the impression that you were half-expecting something like this to happen,” which Jamil confirms: “Kalim loves to invite people over without notice, so I try to remain prepared for that sort of thing on a daily basis.”
We see another example of this in a vignette where Kalim causes an explosion in the dorm kitchen while trying to “alchemize giant crackers.” Jamil says that he will call someone to repair the kitchen the next morning and Kalim reveals that he has invited multiple students from other dorms over for a party.
Jamil asks, “And the hosting? The cooking? Who was going to be in charge of that?,” and Kalim responds, “Why, you, of course. You can just make extra of whatever you’re whipping up for me anyway.” When Jamil says, “This, from the culprit who destroyed the kitchen? This, from the man who just had a party last night?!,” Kalim responds, “Well, yeah. That’s what the weekend is for, Jamil.”
Jamil declares that he will not be cooking for Kalim’s party and that he is to cancel it, but after Ruggie argues against the cancellation Kalim decide throw the party anyway, without Jamil (the first thing he does, however, is call for Jamil).
When Kalim reveals that he has never cooked before Ruggie takes over in the kitchen, with Kalim insisting on helping via magic as he is not allowed to touch knives. Jamil seems to happen upon the party by accident, and though Kalim says the party was to give Jamil a chance to socialize with others in the second year he immediately tells Jamil to cook for him, in line with his promise that he won’t eat anything not made by Jamil.
The second-year student party is not the only example of Jamil telling Kalim to cancel an event and Kalim refusing to do so, with Jamil walking in on an event at Scarabia in another vignette and saying, “I told him to suspend the concert! He must have snuck off while I was preparing the food.”
When trying to decide to do with his tsum during Tsumsted Kalim tells Jamil, “I know exactly where we should go!,” but when Jamil asks where Kalim responds, “You’ll see! C’mon!” Kalim’s secret location is revealed to be the school cafeteria, so that Jamil will cook for him. Kalim says, “I wanted to have lunch with the tsum since it came all the way here-something we didn’t serve at the party!”
Jamil agrees to cook but points out they do not have any ingredients to work with. When Azul offers ingredients that he has prepared he adds the caveat, “Not for free, of course. Since we’re providing the ingredients, I’d like you to cook enough for us as well,” and Kalim agrees, while Jamil observes, “Guess the guy who’s actually gonna be making the meal doesn’t get a say…”
In a voice line Kalim recommend that the prefect go to Jamil for advice on how to cook, saying that Jamil would “share his finest recipes,” but it is maybe unclear if Jamil knows that Kalim is volunteering his services to others.
In a vignette Kalim invites Idia, Rook and Cater with him to eat Jamil’s cooking without any warning to Jamil himself, saying, “He always makes food for me anyway, so adding one or two more people to the mix won’t make that much of a difference” (Idia: “no i’m sure it mega bothers him tho srsly”), and invites Ortho to eat Jamil’s food in another vignette.
Jamil was also in charge of decorations and making all the food for a banquet for new students at Scarabia, and Kalim has Jamil prepare soup for members of Scarabia at the start of Fairy Gala.
Prior to the Beanfest event Jamil intentionally prepares a meal large enough for Kalim to share with others in advance. After Kalim and others on his team are captured as they eat Kalim has Jamil serve shawarma to him and the other students, with Jamil agreeing under duress, unable to say no as Kalim’s servant, telling Trey, “Here l am, helping against my will.”
Jamil went to school as a child while Kalim was homeschooled, but it seems his tasks as a child-servant extended to tutoring Kalim, who says, “Whenever I cried about not understanding a question in my homework, Jamil would always show me how to solve it,” and, “It was Jamil who taught me magic and tutored me. He was a way better tutor than any of the ones my family hired.”
Since enrolling at NRC it seems that Jamil continues to tutor Kalim, who says that he falls asleep during Jamil’s tutoring sessions “all the time,” and Jamil has a voice line about tutoring Kalim in potionology, saying, “Even Kalim can brew simple antidotes to perfection…after I spent three years drilling the procedure into him.”
We seen an example of Jamil’s tutoring in a vignette where Kalim is held back after school to make a sleeping potion with Silver, and his immediate reaction is, “Why bother reading a textbook when we can get a rundown from Jamil way faster?”
Jamil does step in to help them with the assignment though he seems displeased, saying it is hardly too big of an ask, “especially considering (Kalim) already dragged (him) all the way to the potionology lab,” and, “as vice housewarden, (he) certainly wouldn’t want (their) housewarden losing class credit.”
Jamil lectures Kalim on following instructions when Kalim tries to imitate Crewel (“He’s a PROFESSOR at Night Raven College teaching potionology, not a boy in danger of losing his class credit”), and when Silver falls asleep Kalim responds, “I think you talked too long there, Jamil. Aha ha!”
Kalim unilaterally decides to make a wake-up potion for Silver instead, ignoring Jamil’s insistence that their ingredients are unavailable and they are supposed to be focusing on their assignment from Crewel.
Jamil ultimately helps both Silver and Kalim with the wake-up potion and then declares, “It’s a good thing you’re done, because tonight you’re going to be staying up and learning how to make the sleeping potion for your assignment,” apparently intending to continue tutoring them until they complete their project.
When Kalim invites Jamil to Playfulland Jamil refuses, reminding Kalim that he has not done his homework and “If you forget to do it, not even a good midterm score will help your final grade. This is no time to be goofing off! I’m going to check out some extra reference material from the library. You’d better buckle down and study.” Kalim then goes to Playfulland anyway.
Jamil says that Kalim learned to fly thanks to his advice, and Kalim mentions a report he didn’t think he would be able to finish on time until Jamil stepped in.
In a vignette Jamil misses his own club activities to do Kalim’s alchemy homework for him. Kalim explains, “I figured if you helped me, I could knock it out quick!,” and Jamil counters with, “I can do the workbook section for you, but you failed to do the experiment,” ultimately using Riddle’s alchemy notebook to compensate for the work that Kalim did not do (“…We can’t very well let you get a failing grade…”).
Sacrificing his personal time (such as missing basketball practice) to perform tasks for Kalim is possibly a part of the Jamil’s role: he receives help from Trey to cook for one of Kalim’s parties by agreeing to prune all of Heartslabyul’s rose bushes in return (“I clearly got the short end of the stick in terms of workload here”), and Jamil seems to spend the majority of a day fetching teachers to help Kalim, cooking for Kalim, assembling the dorm to create lanterns on Kalim’s request, etc., during the Lantern event, without attending any of his own classes. (Jack: “You can tell how stressed Jamil is.”)
It is later revealed that students who provided aid were given full attendance credit in all classes for the day.
During Halloween at NRC Kalim gives a speech on the “special message” of Scarabia’s theme, only to reveal that everything he explained had actually been Jamil’s idea, and everything he’d said had been decided by Jamil.
Jamil also teaches Kalim how to play games (“You could at least read over the rulebook yourself”), and he explains the teams of Port Fest to Kalim when Kalim does not understand Crowley’s explanation.
Kalim has a voice line of, “Sometimes my younger siblings want to sleep in the same bed as me. Jamil reads us stories when they do,” but it is a little unclear if this is something Jamil did before NRC and/or continues doing to this day.
Kalim also says, “There are so many stories out there I don’t know…I should get Jamil to summarize the book for me sometime,” and says that he will get Jamil to read him a reference book he receives from Riddle for his birthday which has difficult words.
Jamil says “Most of the time when there’s a party, I’m usually the one doing the cooking, the decorating, the inviting,” and preparing for the parties that Kalim likes to throw seems to be another one of his tasks as Kalim’s servant: Kalim unilaterally invites Crowley to eat at a buffet-style banquet prepared by Jamil in a vignette where he also assigns Jamil to overseeing decorations with less than a day to prepare.
Jamil covers for Kalim when Kalim fails to fill his role in time, then prepares clean. He also cleans up after playing cards with Kalim and his tsum at Kalim’s behest, so cleaning up after Kalim is possibly another one of his duties.
Despite the stress of fulfilling Kalim’s requests for parties, when Jamil declares that he is through with following others’ orders and he is going to be free, the first thing he does seems to be throw a party, which he does both in the real world and in the recreation of the Book 4 incident as seen in his dream.
Kalim’s introduction in Book 4 is telling Jamil to always inform him ahead of time when inviting guests so that he can arrange for an even finger banquet and music in a line that is identical to what Dream-Jamil announces in Kalim’s dream of Book 7.
Jamil mentions fetching Kalim for an event as early as pre-elementary school, and we have two different examples of Jamil fetching drinks for Kalim, which also seems to be a regular part of his servant duties.
Jamil also mentions fetching food for Kalim during Spectral Soiree and says that he became interested in movies because of the three movie theaters in Kalim’s family home, where “was always running around making popcorn and hot dogs and all sorts of movie snacks,” and “usually I’m too busy taking care of him” to actually see many movies.
In Book 7.5 Jamil accuses Kalim of “barely paying attention” to an explanation from Crowley since he assumed Jamil would remember it on his behalf, and Jamil is often seen reminding Kalim of things such as having met the Prefect and Grim in the prologue, remembering to pack Kalim’s textbooks, and leaving him a note reminding him not to forget his robes and homework. Kalim says, “If I tried getting everything ready by myself, I’d probably forget something every time.”
Silver responds, “You’ve made me see that indeed, being overprotective must be avoided at all costs.”
During the Cloudcalling event Kalim is reminded of the name of his own hotel with another note from Jamil.
Kalim seems to enjoy throwing parades, announcing that they will be hosting one for Crowley in a vignette. Jamil does not seem pleased (“Ugh. Your love of parades strikes again”), but he makes his entrance in his own dream of Book 7 riding an elephant at the head of a parade, and when Jack Skellington goes to him for help with his Halloween celebration, Jamil suggests a parade, saying, “In Scarabia, we sometimes hold them to kick off parties…rather frequently, in fact.”
Another of Jamil’s tasks seems to be packing luggage for Kalim, saying, “Whenever Kalim goes anywhere, I end up packing both our bags.” Jamil packs Kalim’s bags for Vargas Camp, and fits all of his and Kalim’s things into a single duffel bag for their return home for the Firelit Sky event.
When he checks if there is anything more that Kalim may want to bring Kalim surprises him with eight suitcase full of pillows, pajamas (“Don’t you have all those things at home?!”), cushions, drums, and coconuts.
Back in their hometown one of Jamil’s regular duties seems to be buying coconut water in bulk for Kalim. He explains, “It’s Kalim’s favorite drink. Sometimes I bring it in by the truckload.”
Outside the school Jamil’s tasks seem to include making preparations for Kalim’s arrival at where he is going: When Jamil is not seen escorting Kalim to Sunset Savanna Kalim explains, “Quite a lot of staff from Scalding Sands are attending, so he’s there making arrangements. Making sure everything is in order for the various ceremonies, arranging security, that sort of thing. He’s quite busy!”
As Kalim’s family organizes the fireworks festival the year that we see them attend in-game, Jamil’s duties are seen including dressing in “more resplendent attire,” as he is a part of Kalim’s staff. Jamil says, “I’ve honestly never had to wear so many bits and bobs before. It surprised me too. I’d feel much more like myself in my usual clothes than all this formal stuff,” so it is possible that his tasks do not usually include dressing up in formalwear.
He has a voice line of, “I’m used to seeing Kalim’s fancy attire, but I’m not as used to wearing it myself,” and says that he always wears formalwear when accompanying Kalim to parties. Cater asks about a lantern that he carries and Jamil explains, “It’s designed to be lit up with magic…I keep this on me in case there’s an accident and I need to attend to important guests.”
Apologizing to others for Kalim’s behavior might be another of Jamil’s duties as Kalim’s servant: after a textile vendor tries to send his group away during the fireworks festival, saying, “I don’t need a bunch of kids treating our carpets like they’re supposed to fly,” it is revealed that the incident was caused by Kalim, not Jamil, but Jamil still apologizes on Kalim’s behalf. (Jamil says, “Again, I must apologize for when Kalim did that. He was very young and didn’t know any better.” Jamil is 9 months older than Kalim.)
At NRC Jamil apologizes to Malleus after Kalim runs bodily into him, scolds Kalim for his own unsuitable apology and then apologizes a second time for Kalim, and apologizes to Riddle when Kalim promises not to say anything about a sprint they do together only to immediately comment on how nice it is that Riddle “can’t come first in everything.”
Jamil apologizes twice on Kalim’s behalf in his own dream of Book 7. After Jamil awakens he says that Dream-Kalim being “polite and humble” is “beyond farfetched,” with Dream-Kalim apologizing for his own behavior and Jamil responding, “How can your acting be so terrible? Ugh. It’s giving me goosebumps, I’m so disgusted.”
We see an example of haggling in Jamil’s hometown when he argues with a vendor who was trying to sell a lamp for 50,000 madol (500 thaumarks) and talks him down to 7,500 madol (75 thaumarks), plus a beige cloth from a bargain bin, which Jamil reveals is premium fabric made with rare dye that he can sell “for 30 of those lamps.”
When Malleus compliments Jamil on his eye for aesthetics Jamil credits his experience with having to keep Kalim from overpaying. We see examples of this during New Years, where Ruggie claims that 5,000 madol (50 thaumark) mystery bags are actually being sold for 50,000 madol (500 thaumarks) and Jamil tries—and fails—to talk Kalim out of buying “bizarre junk that obviously nobody wants.” Jamil ultimately fails to stand against Kalim, saying, “I can see there’s little point in trying to stop you. But guess who’ll be disposing of all this unwanted junk later…”
In another New Year event Jamil picks out enough merchandise for both him and Kalim to meet the entry fee for a game, successfully stopping Kalim when he tries to buy an entire shelf of spices. After they lose the game Kalim declares that he will “do much better next time” and Jamil responds, “He’s going to end up cluttering his room with a bunch of stuff he doesn’t need…”
In another New Year event where Jamil himself is working at the school store he cautions Kalim against buying too much, but Kalim then lets Floyd pick out his purchases. Without Jamil overseeing them Floyd selects products with prices that include “a LOT of zeroes.” Jack asks, “What if Jamil finds out?,” and Floyd responds, “So what if he does? We’re just givin’ Sealie what he wants.”
Kalim also tries to buy entire shelves of goods from the school store during Tsumsted while Jamil tells him and the tsum to not get carried away, but it is maybe unclear if they listened to him.
During Tapis Rouge Ace comments that Jamil is “probably pretty used to spending money,” and Jamil explains, “It’s true, I am. But only when it comes to buying things for Kalim, using Asim family funds. When it comes to my own purchases, I stick to a strict budget,” so it seems that buying things for Kalim using Kalim’s family’s money is one of his usual duties as Kalim’s servant.
Worrying
Kalim says, “Jamil always says I don’t worry enough about things as it is…It wouldn’t hurt him to take life a little easier,” and there are several examples of Kalim telling Jamil that he worries too much: after explaining that Kalim’s food is poison-tested due to his position of heir to the Asim family Kalim tells Jamil, “You just love blowing these things out of proportion,” as no one has tried poisoning him since the last time it happened (Jamil: “Yes, because you’ve had someone to specifically prevent that from happening”).
When Jamil tries to keep Kalim from fetching ice cream it is possibly moreso to protect himself than Kalim, as he says, “If word got out that I allowed you to do this, my parents would never let me hear the end of it,” but Kalim responds, “You’re too serious about servitude.”
When Kalim goes into the dorm lounge at night Jamil asks, “What if someone abducted you?,” and Kalim responds, “You’re such a worrywart, Jamil. Chill.”
When Jamil asks to stay close to Kalim during the VDC training camp in Book 5 due to Ramshackle being less secure than Scarabia Kalim calls Jamil paranoid. Jamil responds, “If something happens to you then I, as your servant, am going to find myself in a difficult situation.”
When Deuce reveals that he hadn’t fully understood his own unique magic when he used it against an overblotted Vil in Book 5 Jamil asks, “It’s all well and good that the spell worked, but what would you have done if it hadn’t?,” and Kalim responds, “Don’t sweat it, Jamil! It worked, and in the end, isn’t that what matters?”
Concerned over a potential attempt on Kalim’s life Jamil tells him, “I keep telling you not to trust new people so easily,” but Kalim responds, “Don’t be such a worrywart.” Jamil explains, “As an attendant of the Asim household, it is my duty to protect you,” but Kalim is unconvinced (“C’mon, it’s fine!”).
Sebek, however, praises Jamil for his caution, saying, “Now that I know what position you’re in, l understand completely! It was a natural reaction.” Jamil says, “Kalim always laughs it off and says I worry too much,” but Sebek agrees with Jamil: “It is an attendant’s duty to remain vigilant. Your discretion is admirable, really…I could learn a thing or two from you.”
Despite being left to oversee the first-year students as housewarden Kalim chooses to leave the new students behind and follow after Jamil as Jamil escorts Sebek to Diasomnia. Jamil asks, “You left the freshmen alone on their first day here?!,” and Kalim responds, “You’re such a worrywart. I’m sure they’re filine.”
Jamil cautions an excited Kalim to not forget their objective at Fairy Gala and Kalim says, “Don’t worry, I know.” When Jamil says, “You cannot afford to blank and forget your moves halfway through the dance like you usually do,” Kalim responds, “You’re such a worrier, Jamil.”
It is later revealed that Jamil covered for Kalim’s lack of “attention to detail” during their performance.
Jamil is very reluctant to allow Malleus to join the Firelit Sky group without an escort, his first time taking a trip without guards. Jamil explains, “Malleus is royalty…What if something happens to him while his chaperone isn’t present?! It could set off an international incident well beyond our control!,” but Kalim says, “I think you’re blowing things way out of proportion. I just wanna show my friends around my hometown. That’s normal enough, right?” (Cater: “Malleus and Kalim are so blissfully unaware of the struggles of those around them.”)
Jamil organizes Kalim’s towels, comb, hair dryer, medicines, soap, blankets, pajamas and more in preparation for his visit to Fleur City. Kalim says, “Don’t be such a worrywart,” and, “if something DOES happen, the rest of the guys in Scarabia will be here to help.” Jamil observes, “Well, I DID issue the whole dorm a manual on what to do during any unforeseen events, but still…”
Jamil later sets out extra towels and Kalim again says, “You’re so paranoid sometimes.” Jamil counters with, “Your carefree attitude can cause all kinds of unexpected trouble. A person who laughs over a single towel can also cry over a single towel.”
Jamil and the rest of Kalim’s staff reunite with Kalim at the end of the Cloudcalling event (Lilia: “They’re all so sweaty. Must have been real desperate to catch us”) and Jamil scolds him, saying, “What if you’d been hurt?”,” to which Kalim responds, “You worry too much!”
When a Dream-Jamil expresses concern over Kalim in Book 7 Kalim says, “That’s right… Jamil’s always worried about me more than anyone else. But…that’s because I’m his boss. Not because I’m his best friend.”
Other characters will also comment on Jamil’s penchant for worrying: Ace points out that Jamil as been “peeking at (his) phone all day” during NRC’s Halloween event and guesses that he is “worried about how the Scarabia decorations are holding up.”
Jamil recommends that Deuce bring extra bags for souvenirs to Fleur City as well as an umbrella, but when Jamil also recommends a scarf, cotton swabs and soap sheets, Deuce calls Jamil paranoid. During the event itself, Jamil goes to Deuce’s rescue using all three items he’d recommended but Deuce had not brought along.
During their descent into Tartarus Jamil tells Leona that he is worried about NRC, as, “The only housewardens there right now are Malleus and Kalim. The whole school must be in chaos, to say nothing of Scarabia,” but when he asks if Leona is worried about his students Leona responds, “What do I care? They can groom their own tails.” (Jamil: “Talk about irresponsible…”
Later on Jamil insists on going into a dangerous area alone, telling Leona, “I’m worried, okay? I wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility if anything happened to you…” (Leona: “Worried? Responsibility? You’re talking about ME?”)
Jamil worries about the buffet during NRC’s Halloween party, saying that Kalim’s “complete lack of vigilance is exactly why (he) can’t have time to (himself), and, “I was talking about safety, not the quality of the food.” Jade responds, “You’re quite the worrier, aren’t you?” (Jade presumably is unaware that Jamil has been poisoned before, with poison testing Kalim’s food being one of his tasks as Kalim’s servant.)
Jamil worries what may have happened to Ace during Vargas Camp when Ace fails to return to camp for two days, but when Vargas dismisses his concerns he reflects, “Maybe he’s right and I’m worried about nothing.”
During the Tapis Rouge event the characters learn that Vil has submitted profiles on them to a clothing designer, with Vil describing Jamil as “boring and always worrying needlessly behind the scenes.”
They possibly reflected such information into the hairstyle they decide on for Jamil, saying that his braids will add “a carefree elegance.” Ace says, “Sounds like they wanted to counteract all that ‘needless worrying’…”
Tasks Kalim Performs
While what Jamil is able to allow Kalim to do on his own is being limited by both his and Kalim’s family (“There would be consequences for my entire family if he were exposed to any danger.” – “If word got out that I allowed you to do this, my parents would never let me hear the end of it.” – “If something happens to you then I, as your servant, am going to find myself in a difficult situation”), there are examples of Jamil leaving tasks to Kalim to do: following the opening ceremonies Kalim makes Jamil escort Sebek to Scarabia (Kalim himself later saying, “| basically forced you to walk him back”), leaving Kalim behind alone with the new students to oversee the welcome party. (Kalim does not do so, however, choosing to follow Jamil, instead: “You left the freshmen alone on their first day here?!”)
During Firelit Sky Jamil allows Kalim to go shopping alone with Cater rather than insist on accompanying him personally, though it is revealed that Kalim is being followed by Asim family security.
During a New Year event Jamil is working at the school store and leaves Kalim alone (with another member of Scarabia) to shop. Jamil tries to caution him and Kalim says, “Don’t buy out entire shelves or the whole store, I know, I know,” only for Kalim to have Floyd do his shopping on his behalf, with Floyd choosing products with “a LOT of zeroes” (Jack: “What if Jamil finds out?” – Floyd: “So what if he does? We’re just givin’ Sealie what he wants”).
In a vignette where Kalim and Jamil eat in the cafeteria (due to Kalim eating all the food Jamil prepared in advance for both of them the night before, leaving them without any lunch), Jamil allows Kalim to stand in line and order for him. While Jamil asks for cream pasta, however, Kalim returns with cream stew, and proceeds to run around and spill Jamil’s stew after realizing he has forgotten a spoon. (Jamil: “We only came here for lunch. Why do I feel so exhausted?”)
Jamil also leaves Kalim behind for three days while he is in Fleur City, preparing a large amount of extra supplies for Kalim in advance.
Jamil does not attend Kalim on his trip to Sunset Savanna for the Cloudcalling Event, having gone on ahead to make arrangements and leaving Kalim to travel by himself (Kalim: “Making sure everything is in order for the various ceremonies, arranging security, that sort of thing. He’s quite busy!”).
Jamil enables Kalim to cook by himself during Beanfest by providing him with ingredients that have been prepped in advance and notes such as “BEWARE OF FIRE” and “Small amounts preferable, overstuffing = hard to eat.” (Later, however, Kalim has Jamil prepare the food for him (Jamil: “Against my will”).)
When Kalim wants to help scoop ice cream in Book 4 Jamil refuses (“Where in the world is there a servant who makes their master wait on them?”), but at Kalim’s insistence (“If word got out that I allowed you to do this, my parents would never let me hear the end of it”) he allows Kalim to serve it.
This scene is recreated in Kalim’s dream of Book 7, where Kalim still has servants who wait on him (Vil: “I’m still amazed at the sheer number of staff here solely to wait on you”) but a Dream-Jamil is one of them, but says, “I don’t see your favorite ice cream in this spread…You should make a run to the kitchen and fetch some for us, Kalim.”
For Kalim
During Glorious Masquerade Jamil says, “We should all be looking out for ourselves anyway. That’s how I prefer it,” but he is often overseeing things that Kalim could potentially do himself, saying, “It’s my job.”
When Jack Skellington and Sally invite him to stay in Halloweentown indefinitely he says, “Back home, there are a great many things that require me to run smoothly. I’m concerned about the people I left behind.” (Jack: “It does go to show just how thoughtful you are. It’s no wonder people need you.”)
When asked why he looks tired on his birthday Jamil says, “I saw that Kalim and the others were scrambling to get everything ready, and like a fool, I just had to say something. Which inevitably led to me setting up my own party.”
It is Jamil who welcomes and gives instructions to new members of Scarabia on their first day at NRC instead of Kalim, the housewarden (Kalim: “Now go and do what he said!”).
When Jamil mentions being worried about the school while the overblot group is away at STYX Leona asks, “So you don’t trust your housewarden to run the dorm by himself?”
In a conversation with Riddle about a banquet for new students Kalim reveals that Jamil has insisted on doing decorations himself, with Kalim sent out alone to run errands. Riddle reflects, “So they found a tactful way to toss you out.”
Trein says, “Vice Housewarden Viper runs a tight ship in Scarabia,” and when Riddle asks, “So you’re saying it’s the VICE housewarden who keeps Scarabia running? And you’re fine with that?,” Kalim responds, “It’s all about teamwork, right?”
In a vignette where Kalim announces a buffet-style banquet for Crowley the day before it is to be hosted, he assigns cooking and decorating to Jamil, insisting on overseeing a parade by himself. Jamil at first insists on managing it on his own but eventually relents (“It seems you refuse to listen to me”).
When Jamil checks in on Kalim’s progress, however, it is revealed that Kalim intends to release all the animals he has arranged for without any preparation and Jamil intervenes.
This scene is possibly paralleled during Halloween, when Rook offers to teach Kalim how to be a more frightening wolf, leading Kalim to insist on frightening Magicam Monsters away himself. Kalim’s initial “rawr” seems to be himself, but then his eyes turn red and (a side effect of Jamil’s unique magic), he stops speaking (only howling) and then seems to have forgotten what happened (“I just noticed the visitors are gone. Did they go home?”), so it is possible that Jamil again intervened on his behalf. It is revealed that an additional tactic of scaring the visitors via the magic carpet was Jamil’s idea.
Jamil flatters Kalim with, “Formulating a plan with an eye toward the end result, and working unstintingly to achieve it…That’s why Scarabia’s motto is ‘A thorough plan is a good plan.’ You were a credit to your position as housewarden, Kalim,” but it is maybe unclear if he was referring to Kalim’s planning, effort and success, or his own.
During the party for Crowley, Jamil again leaves the management of the parade to Kalim, but Kalim disappears and Jamil refuses to intervene overtly (“That would destroy Kalim’s reputation”).
Instead Jamil again intervenes from the background, stalling the finale with a display of wind magic until Kalim arrives to fulfill his role.
Afterwards Kalim asks, “Did you see the finale? I did great, didn’t I?,” and Jamil responds, “Yes, I saw. Well done…more like ‘well done, me.’” Crowley praises Kalim’s leadership and Scarabia students follow with, “Housewarden Kalim is always thinking about us students. He’s the best housewarden ever!” (Jamil: “The ‘best housewarden’ indeed…”)
After learning that Kalim is planning on throwing a parade for Jamil’s birthday, Jamil explains, I got worried and snuck a peek at their documentation, and sure enough, the planning’s full of holes. If the parade’s a bust and Kalim goes, ‘Let’s have a do-over tomorrow,’ that’ll send the labor and expenses through the roof…Hence, I concluded the best thing to do is ensure they succeed the first time with minimal damage. Which brings me to what I’m doing now-surveying the parade route in advance.” (Ortho: “You’re doing preliminary checks for your own parade?”)
Jamil will also intervene with non-Kalim characters, fixing the lace on Deuce’s Halloween costume on his behalf, keeping Grim from decorating with gold, keeping Grim from playing a prank, and the Halloween group’s suggestion that they use Jade’s unique magic on Skully. Jamil tells the prefect, “Speak up if you find yourself in trouble. If we act fast, we can stop things from getting out of hand.”
Jamil spends the majority of his and Leona’s journey into Tartarus intervening with Phantoms on Leona’s behalf, to Leona’s annoyance. When met with the Thunder Spear Jamil seems tempted to try and wield it himself, but ultimately fetches Leona, instead, as he’d been told to do (Leona: “Looks like this time a certain good boy managed to keep his hand outta the cookie jar”).
Later Jamil tells Leona that he will “walk away right now” if Leona sincerely considers him a burden and Leona responds, “Why you gotta swing from one extreme to the next? Were you repressed growin’ up or something?…You think you can do everything by yourself? How arrogant can you get?”
As they continue through Tartarus together Jamil is given repeated opportunities to see Leona in action and reflects, “He might be a housewarden, but he couldn’t be more different from my own.”
Later Jamil apologizes, saying he has “judged those around (him) as stupid, incompetent, lazy, or just plain good-for-nothing,” which is possibly why he is so often intervening on others’ behalf to oversee things himself.
At the conclusion of Book 6 Jamil first refuses Kalim’s offer to help with serving a tart but then seems to change his mind, asking him to set out plates and forks.
During the battle against the darkness in Book 7 Jamil delegates fights to Kalim, which Leona comments on as being “impressive progress” after Tartarus (where Jamil spent the majority of the time trying to protect Leona and handle all of their battles himself). Jamil responds, “It’s called personal growth,” though afterwards Kalim says Jamil still “saved (him) a bunch” with his magic.
A dream-version of Jamil in Kalim’s dream tells him to serve ice cream himself, but when Jamil in the real world tells Kalim to do a Housewarden task by himself, Kalim is shocked. Despite having ordered Jamil to act like a friend instead of a servant, when Jamil says, “When a friend doesn’t want to do something, they say no,” Kalim responds, “Isn’t that unfair?!”
Jamil says, “You don’t want to give me orders as my superior, but you don’t want to take no for an answer as my friend? You can’t have it both ways,” and Kalim ultimately relents, so it is possible that there will be less intervening on others’ behalf from Jamil in the story going forward.
Trusting Jamil
Kalim says that, while he might seem gullible, Jamil would spot anyone trying to swindle him, and he seems to trust Jamil extremely.
Even after Jamil himself reveals his plot of Book 4 Kalim seems willing to believe otherwise if Jamil chooses to uphold his ruse, but Jamil does not. Kalim blames himself for driving “Jamil to the brink without even realizing it,” as “The real Jamil would never do such things,” but the members of Octavinelle convince him of otherwise, with Azul explaining:
“You carry yourself like a goody-two-shoes, laughing off conflict with a flippant word or two. To twisted individuals like myself and Jamil, I mean, to calculating individuals, those remarks are like barbs digging under our skin. I’d say you’ve been pushing Jamil ever since your formative years.”
Upon confronting an overblotted Jamil, Kalim calls him a “coward and a traitor,” and Jamil responds, “That’s what you get for trusting me blindly.”
Kalim’s trust in Jamil is resisted in Kalim’s dream of Book 7, where a dream version of Jamil uses Jamil’s unique magic on Kalim when his trust begins to waver, but the Dream-Jamil’s insistence that he is the only one Kalim can trust backfires, ultimately awakening Kalim, who declares that the Dream-Jamil is not the one he trusts.
In Jamil’s dream Kalim confronts Jamil with memories from their childhood, saying, “You were always the best and most dependable friend I could have. I trusted everything would work out just fine as long as I left it in your hands. I never once questioned that. But…I was the only one of us who felt that way. You hated it all along, didn’t you?”
Inability to Refuse
Jamil confronts Kalim over the power balance of their relationship in Book 7.5, pointing out that Kalim has been calling him a friend while treating him like a servant: “You’re the one who told me to act like a friend. When a friend doesn’t want to do something, they say no.”
Kalim says he is being unfair, to which Jamil responds, “You don’t want to give me orders as my superior, but you don’t want to take no for an answer as my friend? You can’t have it both ways,” and we have seen many instances in the game where Jamil has been unable to refuse an order from Kalim.
When asked why he obeys Kalim, Jamil says, “It’s because…he’s Kalim Al-Asim.”
The clearest example is possibly from Beanfest, where Kalim tells Jamil to prepare food for himself and others and Jamil reflects on how servants are not allowed to disobey orders from their master, telling Trey outright that he is helping against his will.
We see another example in a vignette where Kalim orders Jamil to send Sebek back to Diasomnia, with Kalim himself even acknowledging, “| basically forced you to walk him back.”
While Kalim has been made more gentle on EN with “please,” “can you,” “would you,” “do me a favor,” etc. added to his dialogue, as though the person he is talking to has the option to refuse, what Kalim actually does is give orders. It is possible that he has yet to ever say please (more here ▶︎).
Jamil has a voice line about the Beanfest event originating from “a student playing a monster who decided to strike back.” Jamil says, “Frankly? I can sympathize.”
In Book 6 Leona calls Jamil arrogant and pushy in what is possibly a parallel to Kalim and Jamil, with Jamil in the role of Kalim: refusing to take no for an answer, convinced he is the more talented of the two, and making things difficult for Leona in his misguided efforts to do what he thinks is right.
In addition to not being able to say “no” to Kalim, there are multiple times throughout the game where Jamil is pressured by others into doing things he does not want to do: at the start of Firelit Sky Jamil is pressured by a combination of Malleus, Crowley and Kalim into allowing Malleus to join the group without a guard, with Malleus summoning thunder, Crowley pointing out how long he has been waiting and Kalim saying that Jamil is “blowing things way out of proportion.”
Trey observes, “Never thought I’d see Jamil lose a debate…even one that’s stacked against him,” and Cater follows with, “Malleus and Kalim are so blissfully unaware of the struggles of those around them.” Jamil concedes, with the acknowledgment that he has no choice.
Later the group pressures Jamil from all sides into allowing Najma to join them against his wishes (“What’s the problem if she tags along?” – “One should treat their family with respect”), in a scene that is recreated at the end when the entire group (plus Kalim) pressures him into accepting the pyrotechnician’s offer to give the cue for the finale after he has already refused (“I bet Najma would be delighted to see her brother take center stage.” – “Sometimes we must accept what’s offered to us with grace”).
In a vignette Kalim and Jade pressure Jamil into sharing the name of a dish he claims to have forgotten, with Kalim, Jade and Azul coming together to pressure him into sharing the recipe for Mostro Lounge (Jamil: “Wait, I never once said I would —good grief”).
Cater volunteers both himself and Jamil to listen to Silver’s troubles at the end of Spectral Soiree despite Jamil saying, “Please don’t volunteer me for this,” and when a newly-awoken Floyd begins raging in Book 7 Idia tells Jamil to intervene. When Jamil asks, “Why me?,” Ortho responds, “Do you want to send in the underclassmen instead?” (Jamil: “*sigh* Fine, if I must”).
During Halloween Jamil follows Deuce and a group of visitors from his hometown into the woods behind the school against his better judgement, saying, “I have no choice but to intervene directly.”
After saying that Azul is “the last person” he would ever want to group with Jamil is assigned to a group with Azul during the Nightmare Before Christmas event, and when Jack Skellington goes to Sally for advice Jamil offers to leave the room, only to be convinced to reluctantly help them both (“If you both insist”).
After their conversation Jamil tries to go back to work but Jack insists on bringing Jamil along with him, to which Jamil responds, “Is this just my lot in life, wherever I go…?”
After Riddle declares that he and Jamil will be monitoring Lock, Shock and Barrel’s behavior during the event, to which Jamil quietly replies, “Please don’t treat my involvement as a given…” but when Riddle says, “What was that, Jamil? I didn’t quite hear,” Jamil responds, “…nothing.”
Jamil is ordered by Vargas to teach Azul how to fly in a vignette, telling Azul, “The coach told me to do it, so I’m doing it.”
At the start of the third Tsumsted event Jamil says, “I seem to recall doing the majority of the tsumsitting for Kalim’s tsum lookalike myself…but let’s be rea,l—nothing we say or do will get us out of tsumsitting at this point, will it?,” which Crowley confirms.
Jamil received his Harveston outfit from Jade, saying, “I got nervous and tried to turn it down, but he insisted I take it…”
Despite politely asking that Grim and the prefect do not attend the fireworks festival of the Firelit Sky event (“I mean no offense, but please, l ask that you sit this one out”), Grim refuses to take no for an answer. Kalim joins in pressuring Jamil to allow them, and when Grim threatens to make a mess of Scarabia in his absence, Jamil concedes.
In other situations Jamil does not outright say no but he seems openly reluctant to do whatever it is that he is being pressured into doing, such as during Firelit Sky when Cater asks him to pick out a souvenir for him (Jamil: “What? Why me?”), saying, “Didn’t you just say you wanted me to have a good time?” (Jamil: “Rgh…”)
Later on Cater decides that he will be picking out something for Jamil despite Jamil’s refusal (“That’s okay, really…”), saying, “No, no, I insist!”
Jamil reluctantly agrees to get blankets for the Vargas Camp group at Grim’s insistence (“*sigh* Okay, fine”), and while he is never audibly reluctant to follow Lilia’s orders during Beanfest, he does not look pleased, and has inner dialogue of, “I can’t believe I ended up working with Lilia after capturing Kalim…It’s impossible to tell when he’s kidding and when he’s serious. I cannot deal with this guy!”
When Kalim tells Jamil to go with him to show Kalim’s Tsum around campus Jamil seems very reluctant but ultimately agrees, and Jamil’s tsum himself seems to follow the trend of being swept along against its will without (being capable of) saying anything, playing cards with Kalim despite not seeming “terribly enthused.”
Directly before his overblot Jamil declares that he is “through following others’ orders” and he is “going to be free,” but after he recovers we see him joining Kalim in dancing at the oasis despite trying to refuse (“I-I’m good, really…” – “Again, I am NOT your friend…*sigh* You’re not listening, are you?”).
Handling Kalim
There are many examples in the game of Jamil himself and other characters commenting on Jamil’s handling/looking after/babysitting of Kalim, with Rook saying that their housewardens are the focus of both his and Jamil’s vigilance.
When Jamil reminds the first-year group to register to audition for the VDC in Book 5 Jamil explains, “Some habits are ingrained in me from dealing with a certain someone on a regular basis.”
Kalim shares early examples of Jamil trying look after him, such as a time when they were children when Kalim snuck out on his own and Jamil had to “scramble after” him.
We get what might be a condensed version of an example of Jamil’s day-to-day life during Tsumsted when Kalim is put in charge of looking after his Tsum and Jamil reflects, “Now I’m stuck tsumsitter-sitting.”
We see Kalim go to the school store, the forest behind the school and the school cafeteria as Jamil follows, cautioning him, trying to keep him on schedule, cooking for him and keeping him from hurting himself.
In the following Tsumsted event Jamil reflects, “I seem to recall doing the majority of the tsumsitting for Kalim’s tsum lookalike myself….”
In Book 4 we see Jamil caution Kalim against setting a bad example as housewarden to the students of their dorm when he tries to leave his studying dormmates alone (“You’ll be setting a bad example if you task the students with studying and then goof off yourself”), and against choking Grim on crackers.
Jamil tries to get Kalim to “stay calm and walk down the runway like (they) practiced” during Fairy Gala, and in an early vignette Jamil tries to get Kalim to “rein it in a bit” for his first orientation as Housewarden only for Kalim to decide to ask Crowley to change the color of their robes two hours before the ceremony, ignoring Jamil and running away. After convincing Kalim to return to the dorm Jamil gets Kalim “finally looking presentable,” and keeps Kalim from forgetting his magical pen.
In Book 5 Jamil proactively evacuates the coliseum and rescues the VDC group, telling Kalim, “How many years have I been covering for you every time you pull a crazy stunt?” Rook says, “Your bond runs deeper than that of a simple aid,” but Jamil responds, “This is just years of experience for me.”
In a vignette where Kalim decides to let animals he has acquired for a parade at Scarabia out of their cages without any preparation Jamil intervenes, and when Kalim fails to appear for the parade itself Jamil stalls for time, prepares to clean, and then saves Kalim from falling from his own magic carpet.
Jamil also handles Kalim during the Firelit Sky event, reminding him about the importance of the job he must do when they get back.
Kalim responds, “I always get the job done when it comes down to it,” but after they arrive he argues with Jamil over having to perform the job he is there to do. When Grim complains about Ace and Deuce, who “wouldn’t stop whinin’ about how they wished they could go,” Jami responds, “Just like a certain someone I could name,” but it is maybe unclear if he is referring to Kalim or Grim himself (or maybe both).
In a vignette where Silver asks what Jamil uses magic for Jamil explains a time when all of Scarabia devoted a day to cleaning the dorm, and Kalim—who was supposed to be supervising—had joined in with students who were playing around in water, instead. Jamil explains, “It was already late in the day and they weren’t even half done. I should have checked on them earlier, but | assumed they’d finish without issue as long as they kept a decent pace. Naïve of me, I know.”
During Spectral Soiree Kalim decides to renovate Scarabia, saying, “I’ll line the walls top to bottom with glass cubes. Oh, and cover all the couches and cushions in sequins! I’M GONNA BEDAZZLE IT ALL!” When Jamil asks how much time and money such a project would require Kalim orders him to have workers begin the next morning (“I want this done as soon as possible!”).
Rather than try and argue with him directly Jamil replies with exaggerated enthusiasm to an explanation from Ortho about his various functions (smoke mode, snow, etc.), indirectly convincing Kalim to abandon his plan for construction and just invite Ortho to a party, instead (“Ortho just saved our dorm from your random whims—ah, I mean, he’s our esteemed guest”).
Jamil attempts to keep Kalim from visiting Playfulland and insists that he focus on his homework (“If you forget to do it, not even a good midterm score will help your final grade”), though Kalim does not heed his warnings.
In a vignette where Jamil is assigned to a school project with Ace, Ruggie asks him, “Shouldn’t you be watching over Kalim?,” and Jamil responds, “I probably should be, but right now, ‘babysitting’ Ace demands my attention,” only for Kalim to then tell Jamil to help him, which Jamil does.
Left on his own without Jamil to look out for him Ace gets into trouble, but Jamil still gives Ace passing marks for the assignment.
He then tells Ruggie, “kindly leave my underclassman alone next time we’re in the middle of a lesson. I have enough babysitting to do as it is,” and Ruggie responds, “I guess you’ve gotta clean up Kalim’s messes too, huh?”
When Trey says that the Little-Big Adventure group might be stuck in their shrunken sizes for “anywhere from a week to ten days” Jamil responds, “Putting aside how he’d feed himself, it’d be a disaster to leave Kalim unsupervised for a day, much less a whole week. Even if I did somehow make it back to the dorm, at this size I’d never be able to stop him from wreaking havoc!”
During the Lantern event Jamil discovers Kalim is not in his classroom despite having walked him to the door and asks, Clearly seeing you off at the classroom door isn’t enough. Do I have to physically walk you into the room?” (Jack: “Come on, that seems a little overboard. How old do you think Kalim is?” – Riddle: “To be fair, Jamil’s current approach is in fact not enough—as evidenced by current events.”)
Jamil is also sometimes seen having to handle others, helping a lost Sebek on his first day at school (“Ugh…finally done babysitting”), and going after Ace in the Fairest City when he wanders away to look at clothes, in order to keep him out of trouble. After returning to the group Vil scolds them (“I don’t recall giving anyone permission to wander off on their own”) and Jamil asks, “H-how come I’m getting chewed out too?”
During the Firelit Sky event Kalim announces that he and Cater will be going to an instrument shop and Jamil tells Cater, “I’m counting on you to keep an eye on him” (Cater: “Huh, asking the tourist to babysit the local…that’s a choice”).
Sometimes characters will reference Jamil in relation to Kalim even when Jamil is not in the scene, event, or storyline: when Kalim declares he will be joining in on a physically demanding game at Playfulland Leona responds, “If you hurt your hand, SOME people’d never let me hear the end of it,” possibly in reference to Jamil, and when Kalim tries to imitate Grim and eat a skewer of shrimp “shells and all” Leona says, “I’m vetoin’ that. Think of poor Jamil.”
Cater decides not to post photos of his trip during the Firelit Sky event in real time, saying, “I’d hate to wind up on Jamil’s bad side if Kalim got kidnapped because of info I posted,” and Jack tries to leave Kalim behind during the Lantern event until Kalim reveals he doesn’t know how to get where they’re going. Jack then reflects, “If we go off on our own and Kalim gets lost…that’s gonna create a whole mess of trouble,” while an image of Jamil fades in and out in the background.
When Kalim considers cutting his own hair at the end of the event Jack says, “That would come with its own problems. Kalim, PLEASE let Jamil handle cutting your hair.”
Listening to Jamil
Jami says that trying to talk to Kalim is “like talking to a brick wall,” and there are many examples in the game of Kalim ignoring what Jamil says: In Book 4 he ignores Jamil trying to get him to do work and ignores Jamil’s recommendation against Azul, Jade and Floyd joining them during Winter Break, with Jamil saying, “You’re not listening to a word I say,” and, Yet again, Kalim ignored my input.”
When Jamil cautions Kalim during Tsumsted Kalim ignores him (Jamil: “…Never mind. He’s not listening”).
When Kalim announces a party for the tsum Jamil says, “We just had one last night,” but the party happens anyway, with Jamil reflecting, “So much for no parties today.”
Prior to Kalim’s first orientation as Housewarden he ignores Jamil when Jamil tries to talk him out of getting Crowley to change the color of their robes, physically running away and into Malleus. Jamil apologizes repeatedly to Malleus on Kalim’s behalf while Kalim argues against Jamil’s advice. After speaking with Malleus, however, he changes his mind, thanking Malleus for his perspective (Jamil: “So you listen to HIS advice?!”).
In addition to the ceremonial robes vignette we see multiple other examples of Kalim ignoring Jamil and running away, such as during Firelit Sky, another ceremonial robes vignette, Fairy Gala, Phantom Bride, and New Year.
When Sebek mistakenly goes to Scarabia after orientation Jamil advises caution and Kalim ignores him. Kalim volunteers to escort Sebek to Diasomnia but Jamil points out that the welcome party for new students cannot proceed without their housewarden and escorts Sebek himself. Kalim does not listen to Jamil, however, and goes along with both of them, instead.
After assigning cooking and decorating for a banquet to Jamil, Kalim insists on organizing a parade by himself, arguing with Jamil until Jamil relents with, “It seems you refuse to listen to me.”
In a vignette where Jamil cannot go to activities for his own club due to needing to do Kalim’s homework, Jamil says, “Didn’t I scold you just last week for forgetting your homework?,” and Kalim responds, “I figured if you helped me, I could knock it out quick!,” so it seems his homework was not so much forgotten as it was ignored on purpose.
Assigned an after-class project, Kalim ignores Silver and insists on getting Jamil to help them. Jamil makes a comment about being “dragged all the way to the potionology lab” and cautions Kalim about not being careful enough, which Kalim argues against (“But Professor Crewel whipped it up just like that”).
Kalim then decides to make a wake-up potion, ignoring Jamil’s protests (Jamil: “I keep telling you, potionology isn’t the fast and loose science you think it is”).
In another vignette Jamil learns that Kalim has announced a party that he is prioritizing over his homework. Jamil asks, “And the hosting? The cooking? Who was going to be in charge of that?,” and when Kalim responds, “Why, you, of course,” Jamil cancels the party.
After a montage of other people whom Kalim does not listen to (Riddle: “I did decline your invitation originally”) he then decides to ignore Jamil’s cancelation of the party and host it anyway (telling Jamil to cook for him despite how the party was ostensibly mean to give Jamil “a chance to socialize more with the guys in (his) class year”).
This is possibly not the only example of Kalim ignoring Jamil’s canceling of one of his events and hosting the event anyway: in another vignette where Kalim hosts a concert in Scarabia’s lounge, Jamil walks in and says, “I told him to suspend the concert! He must have snuck off while I was preparing the food.”
An unhappy Jamil mentions Kalim disappearing while Jamil had been fetching them drinks, with Kalim not answering his calls. Azul says he say Kalim with other members of Scarabia and Jamil exclaims, “I told him clearly and repeatedly not to leave the bench…!”
Jamil declares that Kalim will not be going to Playfulland, but Kalim then goes anyway.
During New Year’s Ruggie lies to Kalim, saying it will cost him 50,000 madol (500 thaumarks) to play a game. Jamil points out the correct price of 5,000 madol (50 thaumarks) but Kalim ignores him.
During another New Year event Kalim says he has heard about koma battles and “Of course I had to come give it a try! Right, Jamil?,” and Jamil responds, “It’s not like you’d listen if I tried to stop you.”
When Azul mentions Kalim volunteering to perform a task for Crowley Jamil responds, “As did you. Without even thinking about your dormmates who were going to get dragged along for the ride. Just as Kalim didn’t think about me,” and there are many examples of Kalim volunteering Jamil to do things for others without his consent: in Book 5, after Jamil’s overblot, Kalim volunteers Jamil to teach others how to dance. When Jamil says, “Wh-again, you’re making commitments on my behalf!,” Kalim responds, “What’s the harm in that?”
When Kalim tells the prefect and Grim to “Feel free to ask (Jamil) for help if (they) have any trouble at all,” Jamil responds, “Now hold on a minute! I never signed up for this.”
When Silver goes to Kalim for advice Kalim unilaterally decides to volunteer Jamil’s assistance as well, with Jamil saying, “You just dragged me over here.” Kalim tells Silver, “I’m happy to help. So is Jamil, of course!”
When Jack and Deuce get into an argument during the Lantern event, Kalim defuses the situation by volunteering Jamil to cook more food for them.
Kalim also invites Ortho to eat Jamil’s cooking in a vignette, while in another he invites Idia, Rook and Cater to eat Jamil’s food without telling Jamil.
Idia says, “it’d prolly be a real pain for jamil if i just suddenly showed like that” and Kalim responds, “He always makes food for me anyway, so adding one or two more people to the mix won’t make that much of a difference” (Idia: “no i’m sure it mega bothers him tho srsly”).
When Jack asks about a lunch that Jamil prepared for the Lantern group Kalim can’t remember what the dessert is called and encourages him to ask Jamil, and Kalim also encourages Floyd to go to Jamil for more information, and tells the prefect to go to Jamil for help with cooking.
When Trey purchases a banana that he doesn’t know how to wrap, Kalim volunteers Jamil to help him with it. Trey responds, “You don’t wrap yours yourself?! I’d hate to give Jamil even more work. I’ll make sure to learn how to do it myself.”
After Jamil’s overblot of Book 4, Kalim continues to ignore him, announcing a party that Jamil is against, getting him to dance despite Jamil’s refusal, and declaring that Jamil is his friend despite Jamil repeatedly insisting otherwise (Jamil: “You’re not listening, are you?”).
Fairy Gala IF seems to be timed after the events of Book 4 and Kalim continues to ignore Jamil, insisting on going with him to the kitchen after telling him to make soup because they’re friends (Jamil: “No, we’re really not”), while Jamil says, “I keep telling you —are you listening to a word I say?!”
When Kalim insists on trying to pull Jamil out of the abyss in Book 7 Jamil says, “For once in your life, just do as I say,” punching Kalim when he does not listen. After their dreams of Book 7 Kalim says they ought to teach Malleus how good it feels to make up after a fight and Jamil says, “I wouldn’t know, since we haven’t made up in the slightest,” but Kalim laughs and dismisses him (“Details, details…”), in a display of what Azul cautioned him about in Book 4: “You carry yourself like a goody-two-shoes, laughing off conflict with a flippant word or two,” despite Azul specifically saying that, to people like himself and Jamil, “those remarks are like barbs digging under our skin.”
Complimenting Jamil
Kalim is often complimenting Jamil, saying that he is “amazing” for giving Sebek advice in a vignette, and, “I’m always impressed by you.” When Jamil compliments Kalim on becoming housewarden Kalim responds, “You’re more capable than I am, and more detail-oriented than I’ll ever be.”
Kalim possibly compliments Jamil’s cooking the most, commenting on his food in multiple vignettes, events and in the main story, while Silver has two different lines on Kalim talking about “what a deft hand” Jamil is in the kitchen.
Kalim also compliments Jamil for being “always so on top of things,” being smart, a “great tour guide,” “a super dependable guy who can do anything,” “a super nice guy,” saying, “Jamil really is something special” and “Jamil makes everything super easy to understand.”
For his birthday Kalim had a famous curry chef teach cooking techniques to Jamil (despite how Kalim himself does not eat curry), and during the Lantern event Kalim makes a pottery mug to give to Jamil (that Jamil never receives, as Malleus accidentally turns it into soot).
Kalim will also mention Jamil in conversation, saying he wants to try his best during the Cloudcalling event because “Jamil’s somewhere here watching (him)” and then asking, “You think Jamil will be happy for me?!,” and telling Deuce that he and Jamil will be at the Starsending event to cheer him on.
In Book 5 Jamil explains how Kalim kept the students of Scarabia from overthrowing him after his overblot by pointing out how helpful he has been to them all, saying, “He’s been a model vice housewarden. In fact, he’s put me to shame. He let dark thoughts get the better of him for a brief time. Other than that, he’s a perfectly capable guy.”
Jamil can sometimes be seen flattering Kalim, though how sincere he is being at the time can be difficult to judge: directly before Kalim’s first orientation as Housewarden Jamil compliments him, saying, “Ruling suits (Kalim) better.”
During Book 4 he uses a hypnotized Kalim to rile up the students and then takes on the role of calming them back down himself, complimenting Kalim as “a truly fine housewarden.”
Jamil says Kalim “was nominated by the previous housewarden. Through his prior work and virtues, he cultivated a reputation as the most befitting in the dorm. I’ll never forget how proud I was at his nomination,” only to then reveal that the previous housewarden who nominated Kalim in the first place was an Asim relative, leading to the students drawing their own conclusions about Kalim’s “prior work and virtues” having an influence on his selection (Scarabia Student: “That sounds like blatant nepotism!”).
Rook volunteers to teach Kalim how to be a frightening wolf for Halloween, but during the event itself Kalim’s eyes take on the red hue that betrays Jamil’s unique magic at work, and afterwards he seems confused about what happened. It is revealed that Jamil came up with a plan to further scare visitors through using the magic carpet, so while Jamil compliments Kalim on “Formulating a plan with an eye toward the end result, and working unstintingly to achieve it,” it is possible that he was describing himself moreso than Kalim.
During Tsumsted Jamil compliments Kalim on using music as bait for his Tsum, saying, “Only you’d come up with that inspired idea,” in what may be an example of a sincere compliment from Jamil.
Searching for Kalim
While fetching drinks at Mostro Lounge despite how the lounge is closed Jamil says, “My housewarden is waiting, so please. Help me out here,” and Rugge and Azul comment, “Fair. If you don’t hurry back to Kalim, he might wander off somewhere,” and, “It’s not as though you can keep him on a leash.” When Ruggie says, “Hope Kalim’s still where you left him” Jamil responds, “Don’t jinx me,” and Jamil is seen searching for Kalim both at and outside of NRC, even leaving on his own after a basketball game in order to get back as soon as possible to check on Kalim (after Kalim had left).
Jamil has a voice line of, “Have you seen Kalim? *sigh* Finding him is going to be a challenge in and of itself.”
During the Cloudcall event Leona has Kalim agree to not tell Jamil about his participation in the tournament (Vil: “…lf Jamil were to find out, he’d definitely put a stop to this”), and when Jamil goes to fetch Kalim in the morning he is gone, leaving Jamil to search for him.
At the start of the Lantern event Jamil finds Kalim in the library after hearing that Kalim was not in his classroom, despite having walked Kalim to the door of the class himself. Jamil asks, “Do I have to physically walk you into the room?,” and though Jack responds, “That seems a little overboard. How old do you think Kalim is?,” Riddle points out, “Jamil’s current approach is in fact not enough—as evidenced by current events.”
Jamil will mention getting messages from Kalim, telling Ace that he is regularly checking his phone during Halloween “in case I get a call or text about Kalim pulling one of his stunts.”
At the start of the Tsumsted event Kalim mentions forgetting to call Jamil to tell him that the Pop Music Club practice was running behind. When Kalim happens upon Malleus wandering by himself during the Firelit Sky event Kalim says, “I’m sure Jamil will find you in no time,” but decides not to text Kamil himself and instead “just shop around until they rejoin us!”
Jamil will comment on Kalim not picking up his phone, and during the Lantern event Kalim does not respond to Jamil despite receiving multiple messages because he had been eating. Jack says, “You can tell how stressed Jamil is.”
Losing to Kalim
In Book 4, we see Jamil suspiciously losing a game that “Kalim would spend hours a day making [him] play” to Floyd, who was playing for the first time. While Kalim tells an overblotted Jamil that he will “win back the housewarden seat,” a flashback reveals that Kalim may have not legitimately won a competition against Jamil since they were small children: when child-Jamil is reluctant to play a game that he always wins and asks if they can play something else instead, his parents intervene, striking him and telling him, “You must always win twice and lose thrice when competing with Kalim. You must never outdo him at anything.”
Jamil explains that “Kalim was more important” than himself, which meant he could never do better than Kalim in studies, exercise or games: “I had to keep myself beneath him. I hat to pretend I was incapable.”
There is then a montage of Jamil’s childhood of seeing Kalim announcing his triumphs, winning dance contests, games, and getting highter grades, and telling Jamil, “Hey, it’s okay. Cheer up!,” apparently unaware that his accomplishments were orchestrated by Jamil.
Jamil being forced to defer to Kalim in competitions seems to have resulted in both characters becoming arrogant for opposite reasons: Kalim for being raised in an environment where he always won, while Jamil was raised believing that he could always win if he were not required to pretend to lose, Kalim believing that his victories reflected his natural superiority, Jamil believing that it was actually he who was naturally superior, which he could prove if only he were allowed to compete honestly.
This follows Jamil to NRC where Kalim is made Housewarden and, when Jamil tries to protest, he is told that even Crowley is in a position where he “must make certain…compromises” to the Asim family. In his overblot monologue Jamil exclaims that Kalim’s mere existence means that he has to live his whole life deferring to Kalim.
We hear a little of Jamil’s childhood of deferring to Kalim during Firelit Sky where Kalim says, “We’d play kick-the-can ’til the sun went down. I won every game,” and Cater observes, “Jamil totally took a dive. Poor guy’s been driven half neurotic.”
Jamil continues to suppress his capabilities at NRC, where Azul notices that he is “almost impressively middle-of-the-road in all regards,” adding, “It’s almost like you prefer to keep it that way…” During a Potionology class Jamil refuses to do any work, saying that he would rather “be subjected to Professor Crewel’s ridicule along with the rest of the class.”
When Azul blackmails him to reveal the truth, Jamil admits that he actually knew the solution to their project the entire time, though he insists that their success was “merely a…happy accident.” Silver also has a voice line saying, “Kalim often fails his lab exercises,” so it is possible that Jamil has to put extra effort into performing poorly enough in Potionology class that he does not outshine Kalim.
At the beginning of the Endless Halloween event, Jamil tells Floyd, “I hope you’ll put in some actual effort,” to which Floyd responds, “Right back atcha, Sea Snake. No holdin’ back, okay?,” so it seems that the limitations that Jamil has been living under for years was apparent to more than just Azul.
During Tsumsted Jamil’s tsum “doesn’t seem terribly enthused” by the idea of playing a card game with Kalim but both the tsum and Jamil concede to do so anyway, intentionally distracting Kalim, dealing him the best cards, holding back on their own cards and losing so that Kalim quickly wins every game, gets bored and leaves. Jamil says to his tsum, “You made sure to keep Kalim distracted when I started dealing, right? Thanks to that, I was able to deal Kalim all the best cards and ensure he grew bored quickly.”
Jamil does not simply accept this restriction without trying to find ways around it: during Beanfest, he discovers a loophole in his parents’ mandate that he always defer to Kalim, intentionally preparing a fragrant lunch for Kalim to eat during the game:
“It would only make sense for monster students to follow the smell and capture Kalim. And there would be nothing suspect about it if I just HAPPENED to be among the monsters. Beanfest is a team-based competition. That means I don’t have to follow the same rules I do when competing with Kalim one-on-one. If by some chance my parents still get cross about it later, well…all I have to do is offer a humble apology. ‘I truly thought it was for his benefit when I packed that lunch.’ That should be enough for them to let the matter go. This is a rare chance to outdo Kalim in a competition, and I intend to capitalize on it.”
Jamil’s plan is a success, and though outwardly he reflects, “Who could have expected that the lunch I hand-packed for Kalim would be his downfall?,” inwardly he celebrates: “What a RUSH this is. Operation Shawarma Sabotage was a complete success! That felt so satisfying to pull off.”
After Jamil recovers a USB stick containing a program needed to set off fireworks during the Firelit Sky event from a pickpocket, the pyrotechnician offers Jamil the opportunity to give the launch cue for the finale, “a prestigious job” that “only the finest craftsmen” are usually allowed to perform.
Jami responds, “I just work for the Asims. If anything, the honor should go to Kalim, since he’s the family heir and one of the hosts. I couldn’t possibly deny him the opportunity…” but after encouragement from Kalim, Trey, Cater and Malleus, Jamil agrees to accept the honor.
After Jamil’s overblot of Book 4 Kalim says “I never knew how miserable you were all this time” (Azul: “Which led to this spectacular betrayal”), and, “Starting today, we can be rivals that compete in earnest for the spot of number one.”
Jamil says, “…There will be no more holding back for me. Not against Kalim, or the rest of you, or anyone. I’m never throwing another competition again,” and Kalim responds, “Good! But I won’t lose, either!”
The consequences of Jamil being under order to defer to Kalim is not limited to Jamil, with Kalim realizing that his belief that he is naturally talented was created by Jamil’s sacrifices. When Kalim loses the position of main vocalist to Jamil in Book 5, Jamil’s first response is, “I just think Kalim would be more suited for…” before he catches himself and accepts the position. Later, Kalim admits that he is “pretty upset” about being passed over, saying:
“I’m always chosen. Always. That’s such an obvious truth that I never even consciously processed it. But now I see that was only possible because of Jamil’s constant sacrifices. He created that ‘truth’ in my mind by always holding back. By always letting me win…It stings. ‘Galling’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
Jamil is seen to have overheard him, but does not make his presence known or respond.
In Book 6 Leona calls Jamil out on the arrogance he has internalized over years of reassuring himself that he would win if he tried even as he was forced to fail, asking Jamil whether he has actually put in the work to achieve what he thinks he would be capable of achieving if he were only allowed to try. “You chose to stop holding back, right?” Leona asks. “How long you gonna use the past as an excuse?”
Jamil similarly confronts himself on this subject in the abyss of Book 7. The abyss-version of Jamil declares, “If I stopped holding back, I’d show them all…!” and Jamil asks, “Is that all you know how to say? That narrow-mindedness of yours is what’s really robbing you of your freedom. Don’t you see? Still…I get it. This is me.”
Jamil then acknowledges his own failure: “I’m the one who rushed in all reckless, and botched things, and blew up at everyone.” He ultimately declares, “I’m through bemoaning my lot in life and feeling sorry for myself. And I’m through averting my eyes from my own desires and ambitions. I’ve got better things to do with my time than wallow in self-pity.”
Interestingly, Jamil never seems to say that he regrets trying to oust Kalim in Book 4, only that his failed attempt to do so was reckless and embarrassing.
In Book 7.5 Jamil refuses to speak informally with Kalim until Kalim orders him to do so, though he offers the compromise of receiving Kalim’s gold bracelet in exchange. While Kalim is willing to part with the bracelet Jamil reveals he was not being serious: “You’re the Asim family’s heir apparent. How can you let a retainer tell you what to do? If you carry on in this manner, one of these days someone might take you for every last sorcent you’re worth.”
Kalim asks if Jamil intends to go after his family’s fortune like what happened in Jamil’s dream and Jamil responds, “Who could say? But if you continue to adhere to your present status quo, there will be no treasure in the world easier to take than yours. Surely you have learned by now that there are no absolutes. There could be a snake in the grass near you already.”
Kalim seems to seriously consider the possibility of Jamil, or someone, taking over his family, reflecting, “If Jamil ever seriously tried to take over the Asim family…That could turn into a whole rematch of our brawl in the dream.” Kalim then declares, “I SWEAR I WON’T LOSE, JAMIIIL!”
While it is never explicitly stated who won the fight in Jamil’s dream, the aftermath suggests that Kalim was worse off: Grim says that Kalim “got all beat up when (he was) brawlin’ with Jamil,” Sebek says that Kalim has “got bruises and bumps all over,” and Idia says Kalim was “running on so much adrenaline, (he) didn’t even register the damage,” while Kalim himself says that Jamil is “perfectly fine,” resulting in a situation where Jamil and Kalim finally competed without the rules that governed their childhoods, but without explicit confirmation of Jamil’s long-held belief that he would inevitably come out on top.
Scolding Kalim
When Idia says that a painting of a hornbill “Lecturing the ones he’s supposed serve” means he must be “either brave or stupid” Jamil responds, “Well, suppose the prince was something of a self-absorbed, impulsive show-off. I know I’d have a hard time keeping my mouth shut around someone like that.” Idia says, “Something tells me you’re speaking from experience there” and while Jamil responds, “…You’re reading too much into it,” we have multiple examples in the game of Jamil lecturing the person he is serving.
In early vignettes Kamil cautions Kalim on not preparing his robes for orientation, scold him for running bodily into Malleus and responding with a flippant apology, lectures him on trusting new people too easily and for being reckless in scene where he falls off his magic carpet.
Jamil’s scolding, disapproval of and general commentary about Kalim’s actions might increase after his overblot, with Jamil cautioning Kalim multiple times throughout Book 5, before, during and after Vil’s overblot.
Jamil has apparently been scolding Kalim since he was a child, and Kalim has multiple lines about Jamil getting mad at him.
At the start of Fairy Gala Kalim unilaterally signs both himself and Jamil up for the event and Jamil scolds him with, “How many times have I told you to say, ‘I’d like some time to consider it’ before agreeing?!,” and in a vignette he tells Kalim, “The next time the headmage asks you for anything, you will reply that you’ll go and discuss it with the rest of the dorm. You will run anything and everything by me first before making any devisions.”
At the end of Kalim’s dream of Book 7 he immediately agrees to join Silver’s group, and when Vil cautions him with, “You should REALLY stop making casual commitments without knowing what they involve,” he responds, “Jamil told me I should always say, ‘I’d like some time to consider it’ when people ask me to do something.” (“But Jamil’s not here right now…eh, I’m sure it’ll all work out! Ah hah hah!”)
In Fairy Gala IF we see Kalim remember these instructions from Jamil for maybe the first and only time: when Crowley goes to him for help with the event Kalim responds, “Sure, I’m down for-erk! I mean… I’d like some time to consider it. Jamil told me to say that the next time you asked me to do something. So I’ll go back to my dorm and discuss it with Jamil!”
Azul responds, “There’s no way Jamil will let him go,” and Kalim ultimately does not participate in the event.
Standing Up to Kalim
In Book 6 Jami refuses to join Idia and Ortho by saying, “I know it must be awful to be trapped by family obligations. But the trouble is, I can’t stand getting jerked around by those in power.”
Jamil has a Beanfest voice line of, “This game originates from a student playing a monster who decided to strike back. Frankly? I can sympathize,” and we an example of Jami trying to stand up for himself in a flashback where he goes to Crowley to protest Kalim’s promotion to Housewarden, but nothing comes of it.
Jamil manages to stand against Kalim during Beanfest itself in a roundabout way by preparing a trap that will enable him to bring Kalim down as a part of a group rather than confronting him one-on-one, which Jamil cannot do (“As a servant, I am not allowed to disobey my master’s orders…!).
There are multiple instances of Jamil silences Kalim midsentence such as during Beanfest, Fairy Gala, a dorm vignette, Book 2, and Book 5. While it can be difficult to tell what exactly is happening due to the limitations of the visual novel medium, Kalim says both “you didn’t have to cover my mouth” and “Why’d you put your hand over my mouth?!,” so that seems to be what Jamil is doing to silence him.
In another vignette where Jamil offers to show Kalim how to do his homework Kalim says they out to prioritize fixing the kitchen that he damaged instead, as Jamil is to be cooking for and hosting a party later that day that Kalim had not told him about, despite just having another party the previous night (“Well, yeah. That’s what the weekend is for, Jamil”).
Jamil stands up to Kalim and says no, sending Kalim out to cancel the party. After saying, “It’s important to honor arrangements with guests, but it’s even more important to honor agreements with Jamil,” Kalim then throws the party.
Jamil also stands up to Kalim in Book 7.5, refusing to let Kalim continue treating him as a friend who can’t say no.
Kalim tackles Jamil at the end of Book 6 and, while it is unclear if Jamil willingly allowed it or if he was too worn down after Tartarus to dodge, he overtly avoids Kalim’s attempt to do so again in Book 7, saying, “I’m not going to let you keep tackling me.”
Disparaging Kalim
Jamil will often make disparaging comments about “a certain someone” whom he does not name but is implied to be Kalim, such as during an early vignette where he tells Sebek, “So long as you regret what you’ve done and vow to do better, you’ll be fine…Unlike a certain someone” (Sebek: “What was that?” – Jamil: “Nothing”).
During Vargas Camp Jamil says, “With you-know-who not being here, I never imagined I’d have to deal with so many headaches,” when Kalim compliments him for being on top of things he responds, “some habits are ingrained in me from dealing with a certain someone on a regular basis,” and just after Vil’s overblot he says, “I also had a feeling SOMEONE would poke the hornets’ nest and set off a worst-case scenario.”
Jamil will also disparage Kalim more overtly, telling Trey that Riddle and Kalim are “alike in their ability to cause ceaseless stress,” and telling Sebek, “I’m jealous of how profoundly you’re able to respect your housewarden.” When Sebek asks if that is not the case for Jamil himself, Jamil refuses to elaborate.
Jamil tells Deuce, “You’re not as bad as our housewarden, but you’re far too optimistic,” and when Idia comments on himself and Riddle being “useless” when it comes to cooking Jamil responds, “I’m not expecting anything out of either of you. I know that housewardens don’t do much in the way of hands-on work.”
Kalim may have soured Jamil’s opinions on Housewardens overall, which may have contributed towards Jamil’s opinion of Leona. During their journey into Tartarus, however, Jamil reflects, “He’s got more than magical talent, too. He also has a vast breadth of knowledge and calm judgment. He might be a housewarden, but he couldn’t be more different from my own.”
During Firelit Sky Trey gets an hourglass that represents getting good grades and another that represents improved focus for Ace and Deuce. When Kalim considers getting one for himself Jamil silently thinks, “Just get the same ones Trey did. In fact, I’d gift them to you.”
A ghost-possessed Kalim swats Jamil’s hand away and Silver tries to call him back by saying, “You’re always so cheerful and kind and fun-loving… You’re a dear friend to me. And I’m sure Jamil feels the same way!,” but Jamil does not seem particularly willingly to prove him right, saying, “I, uh…suppose you’re not entirely off base…”
After anger from the possessed-Kalim and urging from Silver, Jamil finally declares, “I’d take Kalim and his obliviousness over this pompous tyrant any day of the week,” but the ghost is displeased, abandoning Kalim’s body for its owner being too lax (Jamil: “Then WHY did I have to say all those things?!”).
Both Azul and Leona have pointed out in the main story that Jamil might be underestimating Kalim, with Azul saying that Jamil doesn’t appreciate Kalim’s unique magic for what it is, and as the heir to an entire trove of treasure, Kalim will wield “wealth represents a power magnitudes greater than any magic. Why, it borders on omnipotence.”
Leona echoes this sentiment in Book 6, saying that Kalim has charisma that Jamil does not. Jamil responds, “That’s just a nice way of saying he’s a soft touch. He’ll be used and taken advantage of at every turn,” but Leona point out that the greatest source of charisma is money: “Money’s more tangible than magic. It commands a lot of power and has no uncertain or ambiguous factors. And Kalim is learning how to wield that immense power. It’s hard to predict how impulsive guys like Kalim will grow…for better or for worse.”
Friend and Master
When Grim says he thought that Jamil and Kalim “were best buds” Jamil replies, “We have been together since we were born. It is only natural that others would view us that way,” and while it seems Kalim himself also believed so (“We’re best friends, right?!”) Jamil did not, telling Kalim just before his overblot, “There’s no point in maintaining my facade now. You have no idea how many days I’ve spent wishing that you would just go away.”
Afterwards Kalim tells Jamil that he would like them to be friends, and despite Jamil refusing him in concrete terms Kalim continues to refer to Jamil as his friend through the end of Book 4 (“Again, 1 am NOT your friend…”), Fairy Gala IF (“No, we’re really not”), and Book 5 (“I keep telling you, we are NOT friends”).
Kalim has a voice like wondering if Jamil will become like Kifaji, the Sunset Savanna royal family’s chamberlain, in the future, but Jamil tells Leona, “I’m not about to accept a life spent attending to someone else. I never have, and I never will!,” so they may have different interpretations of what Jamil’s future will look like, or Kalim was possibly only wondering is Jamil might be similarly “dignified” when he grows up, regardless of whether or not Jamil remains an Asim-family servant.
In Kalim’s dream, Dream-Jamil’s parents work for Kalim’s dream-family and, in reality Jamil’s parents are explicitly described as being Kalim’s family servants. While Dream-Jamil’s role in Kalim’s dream is not explicitly stated to be a servant, Kalim has many servant in the dream and Dream-Jamil has a dialogue about how the two of them have never worried about social status, implying that there is a gap in social hierarchy.
When Vil is surprised that Kalim’s dream takes place outside of NRC Idia suggests that a new environment was selected “that avoids a tragedy that unfolds due to attending Night Raven College.”
Dream-Jamil’s entrance in Kalim’s dream is almost identical to Kalim’s entrance to the Scarabia lounge in Book 4, with both characters saying, “How many times must I tell you to always inform me ahead of time when inviting guests?! If you had, I would have arranged for an even finer banquet and a whole band!”
The Dream-Jamil repeatedly declares that he and Kalim are “best friends,” and Grim nearly awakens Kalim by reminding him that Jamil in reality, when asked to be friends in Kalim, responded with “Not on your life.”
After Kalim awakens he acknowledges that real-world Jamil is always worried about him not because they are friends but because he is Jamil’s master. Jamil’s dream-outfit card has a voice line of, “I’ll keep striving to be friends with Jamil in the real world, too.”
In Jamil’s dream he is the son of a family that used to work for the Asims, as in reality, but then became the richest family in the city and bought Kalim’s family home, with Jamil having become Kalim’s master. We see an example of what Kalim was like in Jamil’s dream, acting more “polite and humble” than Kalim of reality.
In the deeper level of Jamil’s dream Kalim has withdrawn from NRC and is hospitalized.
After waking up from his dream Jamil confronts Malleus with, “Thank you for the wonderful dream you gave me. It showed me a side of myself I never knew existed, in a world where I got everything I wanted. And it was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced by far.”
After their dreams Jamil asks why Kalim didn’t oust him despite knowing he is a “scheming, heartless rogue” (like Azul), and Kalim responds, “Things don’t always work out great in the real world. And some people will never be my friend. But I think…I still like it better when the world has different kinds of people in it. Isn’t that what makes it interesting?”
Kalim follows with, “And that’s why we need to teach Malleus a valuable lesson, that it feels SO good to make up after a massive blow-out fight!,” but Jamil responds, “I wouldn’t know, since we haven’t made up in the slightest.” (Kalim: “Ah hah hah! Details, details…”)
Following their dreams and the fight with Malleus, Jamil confronts Kalim about treating him like a friend who can’t refuse him and Kalim responds, “Okay, you’re right. That wasn’t fair of me. I’ll learn from my mistake!”
Twisted Wonderland Reference Note 