#<- kabru during that 'I JUST WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU' moment

[bi-hop]

if I don't name a labru fic after this song one day... well that won't happen bc I will, so don't worry about it.

[daistea]

Could you do a suggestive mithrun x tallman reader fic where the reader somehow managed to become friends with mithrun and they ask if they can touch his ears out of curiosity (I just like the idea of elf ears being sensitive)

Ya! This one was fun 💕 thanks for the prompt!

1800 words

Mithrun x Tall-man Reader

no tws except for smoochin and a suggestive tone

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

You had a measure of decorum. Not much, though. A teaspoon, maybe. A teaspoon of decorum. Yet, that still existing decorum nearly stopped you from doing what you currently wanted the most:

To touch an elf’s ear.

Pattadol said no. Fleki laughed at you and said ‘keep dreaming’ as if you’d just hit on her. Lycion became a bit flirty in a way that threatened you. Cithis also said no. Otta… also said no, out of loyalty to her current partner. Otta’s response made you wonder what the implications of ear touching were to elves. Was it intimate? Was it embarrassing for them? Was it considered rude if you didn’t know the person well, like how using a half-foot’s first name was considered rude for strangers? That teaspoon of decorum caused you to hesitate.

Mithrun, though, wouldn’t care. Mithrun hardly cared about anything. And you were friends, sort of. He didn’t outright call you his friend, but that was fine, you could live with that. He put up with you. That was fine. Fine.

You knocked on the door of the little apartment above the noodle shop. Mithrun’s monotone, though muffled, voice told you to come inside. You found Mithrun on the floor, on his knees and hunched over the baseboards. He wielded a toothbrush like a dagger as he scrubbed at the nonexistent dust, and only spared you a glance, but said no greeting.

It wasn’t the first time you’d seen Mithrun clean like that. It was yet another habit Milsiril had instilled in him during rehabilitation, though you had a theory that Milsiril only taught him to clean so ardently because she thought it would come in handy for hiding murder evidence.

Mithrun’s home was simple. It was near empty aside from the most basic furniture. Yourself, Kabru, and several of the Canaries had given him little decorations. The pillows on the couch with the badly embroidered cows on them were from Otta. The simple, thick white curtains were from Pattadol. The painting of Mithrun’s assist dog dressed in royal garb was from Lycion. And most of the utensils in the kitchen were from you, given to him after you saw him attempt to eat spaghetti with a spoon— he knew better, but couldn’t be bothered to buy proper utensils.

As you took a moment to watch Mithrun scrub, your mind began to wander. Was this truly worth it? You’d only recently read about how soft elf ears were, yet you hadn’t been able to get the thought out of your mind. And they were so cute, too, with how they drooped and perked up. You’d even seen Mithrun’s ears droop when he pulled his hair back. It wasn’t as pronounced as other elves’ but no less endearing.

“What do you need?” Mithrun’s voice yanked you from your mind. It was as if he’d grabbed your shirt and pulled you forward, making you stumble for words.

It would be easiest to just blurt it out. He wouldn’t be offended. He might give you the look, but it wouldn’t bother him, surely. Yet, it was as if you’d hit a mental wall. What seemed like such a simple request ended up stuck in your throat, refusing to climb.

Mithrun sat back on his haunches and raised his head to look at you. He rested his forearms on his knees, toothbrush dangling from his fingers. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and there were his ears.

You knew that look. He was expecting something. And he would stare in silence until you blurted it out.

“I want something,” you finally said.

“I already asked what you wanted,” Mithrun reminded, monotone.

“Technically, you asked what I needed, and this isn’t really a need. I mean, it feels like a need, but it’s really not. I can live without it. However, I would like it. It would please me.”

Mithrun didn’t miss a beat, “And you know how much I wish to please you.”

“Okay, smartass, tone it down,” you put up a hand, shooting him a glare, “I’m really nervous, so don’t make this harder for me.”

“I wasn’t kidding.”

“No, you were being sarcastic.”

“I wasn’t being sarcastic.”

“You’re just trying to make me squirm,” you accused, “you’ve become a sadist after regaining your desires, huh? You like watching me struggle?”

Mithrun only slightly raised a brow, “A bit. But use your ears, I wasn’t being sardonic.”

Your heart skipped a beat and you couldn’t help but pause. “...I’m going to think about the implications of that statement at a later date. For now, on the subject of ears, I have a request.”

He finally stood, brushing past you to deposit the cleaning brush into the sink and washing his hands in a water basin. After drying them, he went to pull the rubber band from his hair, but you made a panicked squeak at the sight, which gave him pause.

“Don’t,” you pleaded as he looked at you blankly, “keep your hair up.”

If Mithrun was confused by the request, he gave no hint. He kept his hair up, though, as he strode through the little apartment and sat on the couch, gesturing for you to join him. You’d done this a hundred times before, sitting next to him in comfortable silence as you both focused on your own things— Cithis called it ‘parallel play’ as if you were kids on a playdate. You’d spent hours on this couch, resting an arm over the back of it as you curled your feet up and talked. Mithrun would usually cross his arms and fold one leg over the other, staring at the wall as if he were ignoring you. He wasn’t, he never did— sometimes he did, but you forgave him.

You took a deep breath as you plopped down beside him gracelessly, your nerves taking over your joints and rendering you a clumsy mess. You weren’t sure why you were so nervous, though, it wasn’t as if this was a big request. It would only last a few seconds, and you’d have your curiosity sated. If Mithrun didn’t want you to touch his ears, he would simply tell you, and you’d both move on with your lives.

Yet, Otta’s earlier answer rang in your mind. She wouldn’t let you touch her ears ‘out of loyalty.’ What did that mean?

It was yet another statement that you’d have to consider at a later time. For the moment, you tried your best to get comfortable as the request rose in your chest. It was undeniable.

The words broke through the dam and flooded your mouth. “I would like to touch your ears, please.”

You watched as Mithrun stiffened. His good eye widened for half a second before he schooled his expression. He didn’t look at you, gaze glued to the wall, but the slight raise of his brows betrayed his surprise. Surprise. Why was he surprised? Was ear touching offensive in elven culture? Mithrun didn’t even acknowledge elven culture most of the time.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he looked at you. Your heart clenched and it felt as if someone had punched both your lungs, but you managed a smile. You knew you looked stupid, shoulders slumped and eyes wide and smile shaken. But he didn’t look at you like you were stupid, he looked at you like you’d just spoken gibberish.

“You want to feel my ears?” He asked.

You nodded, “Yeah, I like soft things, and they look pretty soft. I asked the other Canaries first and they all said no.”

Mithrun cracked a little smile. It was barely there, but you could feel the amusement coming off him in waves. “Of course they would all say no. They know better.”

You weren’t sure what that meant, but he’d yet to give you a straight answer. “Whatever. Can I please just feel them, at least a little? Then I’ll never ask you for anything again.” (That was a lie and you both knew it.)

Nonetheless, Mithrun’s gaze flickered around the room. It didn’t look like he was scanning anything in particular, but rather letting the thought absorb. Once he returned to you, he slowly nodded, “I doubt I have any nerve endings left, so it’s fine.”

Nerve endings? It didn’t matter, you were so close to your goal. Some called you single minded, you preferred the description of ‘determined.’

Slowly, you raised a hand. The moment felt monumental. The air was thick with anticipation that set you on edge, raising the little hairs on your arms. You let out an exhale as if to prepare yourself, then gently brushed your fingers on the soft skin of his cut ears.

You traced the jagged tip. Then the lobe. Then the back. Mithrun leaned into your touch and his eyes threatened to flutter shut, but he managed to send you a look, “Don’t look so excited.”

“Yes, sir,” you answered immediately as you tried to school your expression.

He let his guard down, his eyes shutting as he exhaled slowly. There was a hint of gravel in that exhale that sparked a fire in your lower abdomen.

You should probably stop.

“There are definitely nerve endings left,” he murmured.

You gently took his other ear and began rubbing the tip.

Mithrun lowered his head a little, brows furrowing and lips forming a frustrated frown. He leaned in. Only when you looked down did you notice how tightly he gripped his pants. His knuckles were turning white. The sight just made you want to press a little harder…

Wait.

If you’re getting hot, and if Mithrun is breathing that heavily, then—

Otta’s words made sense. Lycion’s flirting made sense. Elf ears are erogenous zones.

You’d asked every Canary if you could basically touch their privates.

More horrifyingly, you’d asked Mithrun if you could touch his—

It felt as if your face was on fire. You tensed, slowly pulling back, but Mithrun’s hands went to your cheeks before you could react. And his lips were on yours. Eager. Hungry. That spark in your abdomen flared and spread and suddenly you were a bonfire. He held your face a bit roughly, and the kiss was desperate. You should probably kiss back, you thought.

You let yourself melt into the feeling, but kept your fingers on his ears, gently massaging the soft skin. He let out a gasp between kisses before diving back in. His chest pressed against yours and you took the hint to lean back on the couch so he could slip between your legs and consume you entirely.

The mortification concerning the fact that you’d unknowingly sexually harassed all your friends was temporarily set aside. At the moment, all you knew was Mithrun, and this new power over him that your curiosity had bestowed upon you.

You will, most likely, use it for evil.

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

[dunmesh]

laios and shuro's relationship is so important to me it's not funny anymore... the fact shuro kept believing in laios during the latter part of the manga, then searched for him after laios became a monster and defeated the winged lion- although it was unclear what exactly had become of him- is haunting me because of how it contrasts with him choosing to give up on saving falin after he saw her as a chimera. like, laios was so sure that their fight in chapter 38 was the end of their friendship while in reality it was the beginning of it in shuro's eyes. laios kept agonizing over losing the one friend he cared for the most but it's because he didn't understand the significance of that little thing he kept carrying with him in every step until the very end of the series: the bell.

shuro gave him that bell as a token of his trust in him and his love: "we grew apart and i'm no longer fit for the position by your side, but no matter how far you go, i'll be there for you when you need me". their conflict over how to deal with falin forced them to go in different directions, but despite accepting leaving falin behind, shuro couldn't bring himself to abandon laios as well. and it's no coincidence that the bell shuro gave him was the proof that laios was still alive after all that happened, or that it's what pushed mithrun and kabru to go deeper into the dungeon instead of returning to the surface (which quite literally changed the entire chain of events afterwards).

yes, shuro decided to stop pursuing falin and report her condition to the governor so she could be stopped, even at the cost of her life. he gave up on her. but the same man also defied the canaries and fought for laios without knowing how messed up things had gotten because he chose to believe in laios above all else. and that, in my opinion, solidified just how important laios became to him- more than falin's, more than his own life, it's laios's he didn't give up on.

at the very end, when he met laios again after the latter defeated the winged lion, he gave him a hug filled with the pure, unrestrained joy of seeing his first and best friend on the island alive and well. hell, i mean, it's easy to forget that shuro didn't really have anyone close to him too- and laios might very well be the first person he was this disgustingly direct and truthful with since he was a child. and when he goes back home, there won't be anyone else like laios there; his home is still the same. it's him that changed. and later on when he will recall all those years he spent on the island, he will realize how surprising it is that all the crazy stuff he witnessed don't hold a candle to the impact those few people he befriended there had on him.

of course, laios didn't realize it until then- shuro's reaction was indeed the one that surprised him the most- but at that moment he could absolutely feel how foolish he was to be so sure he will be hated and rejected after everything they went through. it's so important that it was shuro who greeted him so affectionately, after we saw laios brooding over their fight so much: it's shuro's acceptance that he was longing for the most.

with all that being said, the one last thing that drives me crazy is that the bell laios was given to use when he needed assistance most was still with him even after turning back into his human form. that tiny item he was shown to be quite careless with and yet never let go of until he wanted to be completely alone, thinking he should run away from everyone he loved; but it was too late, his friend already heard his cry for help.

and they all answered.

[majeoeje]

Casual

Kabru x reader (gender neutral)

It’s hard being casual when you always find ways to litter little parts of you in my life

Warning: explicit

Unison gasp exhaled from both your lungs, it felt like your chest could be crushed by the tension alone. You could get off with the way he held your you by the back of your neck, it felt as if your body could burn away by his touch and he of course was well aware of this. You only wished Kabru’s piercing eyes wasn’t so fixated on you the whole damn time you’re trying to undress him.

You hate to admit that it made you a little nervous. You knew that he was taking your every little reaction into account. It made you feel somehow vulnerable.

“I told you not to psychoanalize me while im trying to fuck you, Kabru”

You were expecting a heavy teasing coming your way, he knew you were into his dirty talk, so he tends to be vocal during your intercourse, it was more weird to not hear him say anything.

“My bad” he quickly said, caressing your cheek ever so softly, before slowly dragging your hand to the button of his pants “continue”

He hides away using your crave for physical affection to his advantage. You would’ve probably skimmed through it if it wasn’t from how distant he seemed. He was trying to hide something. It wasn’t evident whatsoever.. but you could tell like he does with you that he wasn’t really into it this time.

Despite Kabru’s efforts, you retracted your hand before placing a sweet kiss on his cheek.

“Maybe not tonight Kabru, i don’t want to soil your clean sheets just yet”

the disappointment was evident in his eyes, but it wasn’t out of a want for intimacy on his part. It was for the fact that he failed to deceive you, he failed to control the situation, he miscalculated on the outcomes of your behavior. But most of all, he failed to please you.

You saw right through him. And it scares him.

“I’ll make us dinner, i was thinking steak tonight.” You finally broke the silence, distracting Kabru from his thoughts

“Feeling fancy are we?” He rested his head in the palm of his hand as he watched you get dressed. You hummed in respons giving him a wink.

As soon as you buttoned up your blouse, you waltz your way to his kitchen, which wasn’t far away considering he was staying in a cramp inn.

“You’re getting skinny, i need to feed you well” you had said as the sound of you preparing food filled his ears.

He layed there, still shirtless, the scent of his freshly washed sheets filled his nose while the contact of the fabric ignited multiple indecent memories of you and him. He gets addicted to the feeling of your skin pressing on his but he wouldn’t say it was all physical…. At least on his part.

He reminisced upon your words just a few weeks ago in the tavern as he watched you cooked. He wondered if the weight of this relationship was equally heavy to you as it was to him, knowing well the scales were imbalanced.

“It’s casual” you had said to your friend, a pen pal that he had never met, who previously asked you about ‘that guy you were seeing’.

Your words felt like a pang to his head. Casual? Well of course it was.. It’s not like you two outright agreed to a commitment filled relationship.. but it’s natural to think you’ve begone to care for him by the amount of time you spent together. Was he really getting the wrong idea?..

“It’s not like this is going anywhere anyways” you said before continuing to drink your beer as your friend laughs

At that moment he could vividly imagine the scales were tipping down on him and lifting you up.

It bothered him that you think so little of him. But it bothered him more that HE was bothered. Just why the hell was he so mad? He internally screamed thinking of the implications, burying his face to his pillow. You didn’t pay any mind to his frustration, too busy simmering down the two steaks on his stove.

“Dinner’s ready!” you voiced plating two steaks across each other on his dinner table, even lighting up a candle for him.

As he sat himself watching the steam off the freshly cooked steak, and practically homemade fancy date was that he wondered…. Was this casual?

The thought to strangle you cross his mind. Why would you even go to this lengths just to fuck him on the weekends? Was he really just some guy you seek just for a quick sex? His curiosity burned him like an unending itch that he couldn’t scratch.

“Easy there”

You wiped off a smudge of sauce from the corner of his lips. If he wasn’t chewing so menacingly maybe he wouldn’t be so messy

“Thanks” he said shortly. He wasn’t even hiding his irritation, purposely clanking his cutlery.

“You wanna tell me what’s wrong? I can tell you’ve been mad at me”

Kabru’s blue eyes looked at you piercing through your soul. That was probably the first time you ever said something direct to him, it felt breathtaking and frustrating at the same time because he could tell that your words were completely empty.

He wanted to say that you tidying his room for him every chance you get was far from casual. Bathing him that one night because he puked all over himself after being intoxicated wasn’t casual. The way you would cook for him every time you come over wasn’t something casual. Your stuff littering his closet wasn’t casual.

But he couldn’t. Because if he were to yell all those things to you and finally hammering some sense into you would mean he had to say that he wanted to be more than casual. He would have to admit that he genuinely enjoy your company. He had to be honest. And he might actually have to kill you if he ever does that

“Haha! You’re overthinking.. Maybe you’re tired. What about staying the night?”

“I was planning to anyways” you said, talking to Kabru always felt like you were planning a war strategy in your every move. Walking on eggshells would be an understatement knowing his analyzing skills. So it’s better not to press him.

The rest of dinner wasn’t quiet, though maybe you would’ve preferred that hearing his subtle questions to get you to spill your whole backstory once again. Your head hurts from dodging all his questions from shifting the conversations and giving lame excuses. You were more than relieved to go to bed.

“How’s your party? Those guys doing okay?” you asked, a lousy attempt on small talk on your part, recalling a hazy memory of you socializing with Kabru’s party at the tavern

It’s hard being casual when he had introduced you to all his friends

You snuggled close to him, his arms carefully embracing you. It felt natural. Like you and him were meant to be. He could imagine holding you in his arms every night in the future and he hates himself for it. He never knew meeting someone exactly like him would be both a bliss and hell at the same time. It was truly tiring to be at war in every conversation with you, but usually he doesn’t have to think much of it from how busy he was fucking your brains out

“Everyone’s doing alright.. we might go back to explore the dungeon in 2 days” Answered Kabru, you could feel his fingers playing with your hair absentmindedly

“Don’t forget to eat yeah? You always get so skinny after your adventures” he hates how you worry over him. And he hates how he liked it.

He asked to himself looking down to your now sleeping form. Your legs tangled beneath the his sheets, the one that you washed for him, he held you closer as he could feel your breathing fanning down his neck. Does this truly mean nothing to you?

Despite his inner turmoils, he held his tongue. He couldn’t let go.. just not yet.

Because only in these moments was where Kabru could pretend that you two were lovers holding each other throughout the night. At least he could have you in another way other than sexual in these moments.

The night went by faster than he initially thought and by morning, you were gone… as always.

Kabru looked around at the washed dishes, the clean floors of his inn, his neatly folded clothes, his organized closet… his place had never looked cleaner. Yet he was never more a mess. It was as if you had came to his life just to fuck with him both physically and mentally. May the gods gave him strength cause he might not have the self respect to not indulge you in your next visit.

But Kabru sucked it up and dragged himself to the market for supplies of the next dungeon raid. Rin and holm had been waiting not so patiently for him, scolding Kabru for sleeping in again.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been with that merchant again, you look a mess.” Rin says, her gaze scanned Kabru’s disheveled appearance up and down.

Despite his residence always being a mess, Kabru usually upheld a kept appearance. It helps him with gaining trust and connection from other people thus making it easy for him to gain information. Though this wouldn’t be the case after a night with a certain travelling merchant, you.

“You don’t need to worry about that, Rin” said Kabru as he smiled charmingly “i just accidentally slept in a little”

Before Rin could scold Kabru more, Holm stood between the two of them.

“It’s best if we start the shopping” he quickly intervenes . As Rin walks away Holm gave Kabru a comforting look

“It’s okay, just don’t be late next time” said the gnome, as he pats Kabru’s back gently.

And with that Holm catched up to Rin discussing what perservatives would be best to bring tomorrow. Kabru tailed right behind them as they talked. Least to say he was out of it.. occasionally giving feed backs here and there about the length of the trip or expenses, but other than that he was a little quiet. Not as quiet for them to notice at least.

It’s not like Kabru wasn’t a genuine person. He has good intentions and he truly is kind. But he was always great at masking. To hide his true emotions wasn’t something that he hadn’t mastered. But it all seems to get thrown out the window once he’s with you. It’s like you could see right through him as much as he could you and he could tell it terrifies you as much as it did him.

Two sides of the same coin was what you are. He never thought he wanted to be understood until he met you.

“Hey, isn’t that the person Kabru was seeing?” Holm voiced, despite Rin’s protest in trying to hide your whereabouts.

Kabru’s eyes suddenly drift to a small alleyway. You were talking to someone, that pen pal again that you were talking to a few weeks ago.

“You’re actually crazy” your friend laughed as if you had just told him something funny. And Kabru couldn’t help but eavesdrop your conversation.

“You know i can’t miss this opportunity.. this is a once in a lifetime!!”

Kabru pretended as if he were browsing the fruits nearby as he hears you talk, your excitement and fear basically pouring out of your words.

“How long before you leave?”

Kabru froze hearing your friend’s words, almost tipping over the basket in his hand. You’re…leaving?? For how long?

“Maybe in 2 days, i bet you’re going to miss me to bits.” You teased.

“Whatever, you’re the one who’s leaving everything behind anyways”

You weren’t coming back anytime soon. It was evident in your friend’s sudden serious tone. This whole conversation was a whole farewell. Kabru only wished that he could be half as accepting as your friend.

He stood there, ignoring Rin’s harsh stare knowing he was wasting their precious time idling by the fruit stall.

Because before your friend had continue to go on a rant on how you owe them a trip to the tavern you had said something so downright lonely he couldn’t shake his mind on the words you had let out.

“There’s barely anything for me here anyways”

What about him? He wanted to ask.

He was mad at himself for thinking such things.. it’s not like he alone was enough to make you stay. But mostly he was mad at you.

“Kabru!?” Your eyes widen upon seeing him, it doesn’t seem like he wasn’t standing there the whole time. You noticed him at the corner of your eyes as soon as your friend left. Holm and Rin thankfully reading the situation and continued their shopping, not wanting to get in on their party leader’s personal affairs.

Kabru walked calmly approaching you, honestly scaring you.

“So.. you heard everything..” you sheepishly asked.

“I’ve heard enough”

And of course you were off to a great start.

“I see..” you trailed off. Again, it was as if you were walking on eggshells around him. “maybe it’s for the best. I wouldn’t know how to tell you anyways”

“Just… tell me why are you doing all this..” Kabru’s voice sounded more desperate than he initially intended, it made you wonder what’s inside his mind.

It’s not like he ever escapes your mind anyways.

“A commissioner from the east asked me formally to be part of their trading association, it doesn’t get better than that now does it?”

“What about your job, you’re just going to throw that away?” Kabru’s words was starting to annoy you, and even he could tell that he has passed the thin line between being worried and nagging.

“Well my friend from earlier was happy to take over”

Kabru notices how you crossed your arms and rolled your eyes. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, he needed to calm down.

“Then what about your friends… your family??”

His more careful words just tick you off even more. You hate how he always hides his intention as talks to you. He dances between wanting to please you and dissect you. It’s especially frustrating now that you’re leaving and you can’t figure out what he was trying to say.

“Can you get off my ass? I know what i’m doing. And my friends and family couldn’t be more happy for me so why can’t you??” You spat, turning away from him, frustrated beyond all else.

“Because i want you to stay goddamnit!”

You turned back faster than you turned around. His eyes were widen, mirroring yours as his hand find its way to cover his mouth, in disbelief of what he just said. It was basically a confession and he couldn’t deny it now.

His mouth open to correct himself, but the growing smile out of the corner of your lips made him swallow his words. Every trials that he thought to try and save himself was lost to the sound fastening beat of his heart.

“Kabru… do you really think that way of m- OW-“

He didn’t know what to do, so he just blanked and punched you in the face

“What the fuck was that for?!?”

You whined as you held him by the wrist, ignoring the growing bruise on your cheek, afraid he might just land you another blow to the face. Though what he said before was probably more shocking than any punch he could land you.

You let go after a few minutes of Kabru begrudgingly saying how he won’t punch you in the face again, you didn’t trust him but it’s better than the other threats he gave you if you don’t let go.

Despite that he had bought you an enchanted ice that was supposed to last longer, said the merchant. He did so that he could apply it on your bruise feeling A LITTLE apologetic for what he did. You find his scowl and how he tries to avoid your gaze quiet adorable despite the situation.

You try calm him down dragging his hand to the beach as a last effort ditch to try and lighten the situation. Perhaps a scenic location would cheer him up?

He sat next to you as he silently held the ice to your bruise for you. You still can’t quite piece together why he punched you in the face but you’ve had more violent sexual intercourse with him that makes it seem tame.

“About earlier..” you hesitantly started, finally breaking the silence. “did you… really mean it?”

You asked, he can’t believe how incredibly fragile your tone of voice was. It was as if you could break any second.

Though Kabru would gladly pick up your pieces and put you back together.

“Yes” he coughed, trying to brush his embarrassment off.

You could only laugh seeing his reaction. You didn’t know what else to do but laugh really…

Everything just seems unreal. The sun setting to a beautiful orange hue, the calm waves of the sea, the soft blow of the wind… but mostly.. it was him. everything felt too perfect that you were afraid you might ruin it. But despite that you couldn’t help but want to connect with him than ever. After denying everything for so long.. is it so bad for you to speak your heart?

“It’s funny how out of everyone in my life, i only waited to hear that from you” you confessed.

Is it casual now? Kabru asked to himself. When you only wanted to stay if he asks you to. He doesn’t want to wonder what it means anymore. He’s done playing guessing games, even if it cost him, to spill his guts out.

“Just please tell me what you’re trying to say..” he asked more desperately he ever had before. you could basically see hope all over his face.

You choked feeling the warmth collecting on your cheeks on the possibility of Kabru actually returning your feelings, it baffles you really that someone as breathtaking as him him could ever want you, let alone harbor feelings for you, making you deny any accusations or any of your friends’ remarks. It was never going to happen.. there was just no way.

Yet the way he held your hand now could prove you a thousand times wrong. Maybe you were always wrong..

“I’m saying that i love you, Kabru”

(A/N: maybe it would’ve made more sense if i split this into a two part but like i spent too much time on this already so might as well 😂😂😂 anyways i listened to casual more times than i needed when i wrote this. Love Chappell roan fr)

[fallow-hollow]

Aaa! Your Kabru x reader was really nice! May I request a Holm x Reader where the reader helps him when he freezes up in rapid situations?

pick-me-up

…ft! holm kranom x gn! reader

…tags! pre-relationship, fluff, a little banter, reader knows some magic, some magic lore i may or may not have made up

…word count! 1167

…notes! people who are madly in love with side characters are truly god’s strongest soldiers. i hope i characterized your man correctly!!

As close as you and Holm were, neither of you really seemed to idealize one another too much. Being in the dungeon, you had to be aware of all your teammates’ strengths and flaws, regardless of personal opinion. When it came to the gnome you called your closest friend, even he didn’t deny it — he did not operate well under pressure.

Considering that you were in a place where foes could ambush you at any moment, anybody could see why this wasn’t a great quality to have. From being unable to save your friends to even being unable to save yourself, there were a lot of potential consequences to locking in place during the middle of combat. Something had to be done about it sooner rather than later, and if he had to ask someone, he’d rather it be you than anybody else.

The plan was formulated during some downtime the party had �� something to stop Holm from going stock still whenever he felt overwhelmed. Luckily, your companion already had an idea for you.

“I figure the easiest way to deal with this’ll be using magic.”

You nodded. Not much of an obstacle, since you already had at least a few spells under your belt.

“As long as you have a rudimentary understanding of magic, it’s not gonna be too hard to get down.” For a moment, the gnome deliberated, wondering how to explain the concept to you. “You know how healing magic can hurt sometimes?”

With a grimace, you shook your head in understanding. Rin and Holm were pretty good about that sort of thing, but there had been more than a few occasions in past parties where healing and injury hurt even more than obtaining it. Seeing that you were familiar with what he was saying, the man continued.

“Well, that’s actually how healing magic is by default. When it doesn’t hurt, that’s because the caster is using a separate spell to numb your sensations.” As you listened, your mouth formed a little ‘o’ shape to show your interest. “Naturally, you can alter people’s sensations with magic in other ways, too.”

“Oh,” you would interject, “so I could use magic to make you more….focused?”

“Not quite, but yes.” At your approximation, he held up his index finger. “I was thinking you could use just a little bit of mana to sort of perk me up, almost like a spike of adrenaline to set me back in motion again.” His hand then lowered, turning over so his palm faced upward. “It’s pretty simple, just transferring mana through touch like you would with a healing spell.”

“I can do that, no problem!”

Ah, he was still looking at you, even after you said that… was there still more he wanted to share? When your eyes wandered down to the hand he held out, embarrassment that you hadn’t realized sooner quickly washed over you.

“Ah, you wanted to practice?” At first, you feared that your slow uptake had caused Holm some annoyance, but the relaxed smile on his face didn’t give way in the slightest. He seemed almost amused, really.

“Guess I should have been more clear about that, huh?”

The smirk on his face let you know that the question was most certainly rhetorical. Answering it would have been a moot point anyway, so instead you pouted and mumbled, “You’re always so snarky with me… not fair.”

Transferring mana was something you were fairly familiar with doing, so you were able to take the gnome’s hand into two of your own with little hesitation. Back when you’d just joined the party, the act of touching him made your cheeks heat up, but exposure to it over time had made the experience far from unfamiliar.

Just remember to envision the flow of the mana, you reminded yourself. Truly feel it, from your head to your toes, through your veins and bones, and out the tips of your fingers. Feel the current connecting you to him…

With your eyes trained on your joined hands, half lidded while you chanted the spell as instructed, you hardly noticed the way your companion’s ears actually twitched and perked up when the incantation was completed. Only when his whole body jolted did you shoot up in turn, concern pooling in your irises.

Said concern seemed to be unneeded, judging from the pleased look on his face. It was one that brought you relief, not just from the knowledge that you’d done well, but from the sight of him alone.

“That’s good, I think you’ve got it.” Even his voice seemed cheerier than before, and you weren’t quite sure if it was from the magic, your success, or both. Nonetheless, it was kind of nice to see his usually laid back demeanor become more enthusiastic from time to time. “So remember, the next time I get stunned in an overwhelming situation, use that if you’re near.”

“Of course!” You grinned, knowing you’d always be neat if you could help it.

That little practice session with Holm had been a few days ago by now. It took quite a while for a situation to actually arise that called for your little backup plan, but you most certainly kept your word.

Perhaps if it was just one stray suit of living armor, Rin or even Daya would’ve been able to dispatch it just fine. But in a whole hallway full of them with no way around, you could only tiptoe past them in hopes that maybe they’d ignore you, or even end up just being normal suits of armor. You should’ve known, of course, that the dungeon is no place for wishful thinking.

When the intimidating armored figures inevitably sprung to life, the first thing you did was look to Holm. Unsurprisingly, he was completely still by your side, eyes blown wide and mouth hanging open while he didn’t even shake or quiver.

Just do what you talked about. Transfer the mana as quickly as you can. You may have taken the latter half of that a bit too seriously judging by how, instead of taking his hand like you had during practice, you immediately reached for his face instead.

Only halfway through chanting the spell did you notice the slight tint on his cheeks, likely from embarrassment, and it took everything you had in you to continue the spell without stuttering from your own flustered state. After all, restarting the spell would take even longer, and that was pretty much the exact opposite of what was needed right now.

The second the spell had been completed, the both of you pulled away from one another, invigorated by both magic and embarrassment respectively. You heard Holm utter a quick thanks to you, but you were too busy feeling completely mortified by the way Kabru had just glanced at the two of you, seemingly more entranced by your interaction than the imminent peril you were dealing with.

You’d never hear the end of this, would you?

[malaierba]

I think that Kabru and Shuro being friends makes no sense negl

Well... They are.

I'm gonna guess you want me to sell their dynamic to you?

I'm feeling so so sick I'll keep it short though. Nothing I say will be better than rereading the manga paying attention to their interactions.

1. Their stories parallel each other in several places. Raised by a surrogate mother, trained to be skilled warriors from a young age, both are disconnected with something about themselves as a result of their upbringing, both are politically minded, both capable of approaching any social interaction trying to determine what their interlocutor REALLY wants out of it... They are both also very ascetic and aren't very in touch with their desires. I feel like they both look outwards more than inwards.

I actually just saw this post which i find so apt. Kabru is better at taking care of his foils than himself. Toshiro, in a way, is also better at performing when it's for other people rather than for himself. Maizuru said it herself, asking for help saving Falin was his one selfish request and it wasn't even for himself. Parallel that with Kabru being so willing to sacrifice himself in order to prevent a tragedy like that happened in Utaya. Sacrifice is high on both of them.

I'm not saying all of these parallels are like, direct equivalents, just that they're similar enough that Kabru and Toshiro could look at each other and be like. Hmm. I feel like I get you.

2. 1. Toshiro literally has Rinsha Fana energy

Using these because it's the screenshots I have most at hand lol but. While maybe not her temper, something about their general approach to a group dynamic and general disposition is very similar to me.

2.2. Kabru has the type of social skills that would make it easy for Toshiro to communicate with him. It's not a perfect comparison but to me it's like if you took a bit of Falyn and a bit of Namari, yeah? Extroversion but also awareness of how to put someone like Toshiro at ease.

3. Idk their general interactions man, they just manage to communicate well with each other! Again no mangacaps bcs my head is killing me but, Kabru being able to talk some sense into Toshiro during his meltdown when he's about to kill Laios? When Kabru opens up about his trauma to Toshiro and Namari even though the way I read it, the action wasn't going to get them on his side anymore than they already were? (Aka true moment of seeking connection and showing vulnerability? You don't do that with just any stranger!)

Look at how they're hanging out during the feast. Isn't that so friendship.

TL;DR: they're both: 1. Similar in a lot of important dimensions central to their characters, 2. Already have friends that share traits or with whom they have a dynamic they enjoy, 3. They fr have chemistry man look at the manga.

[greywolfheirs]

Kabumisu Drabble/Shortfic

Kabru frowned down at the text in front of him. He glanced between it and the circle he’d made in the floor to check he’d inscribed all the symbols correctly. Satisfied, he nodded to himself. Now to say the words.

Kabru and Marcille had gotten along decently well during their time together with Laios’s new appointment of king. In fact, “decently” might be an understatement. They were cautious at first, but she had quickly become the first person he ran to when visitors came to Laios with ridiculous requests and Laios jumped to even more ridiculous solutions without consulting his advisor. Kabru needed to complain and she was a very sympathetic ear.

It was only Marcille who could convince Kabru to take up magic in his free time. He’d learned a few convenient spells from her and she eventually gave him the book he now held in his hand. He was trying to cast the spell he’d seen during their days in the dungeon, one that heated the floor so that Senshi could cook food.

As Kabru mouthed the words, practicing the pronunciation, his roommate and the reason for this particular spell walked in. Mithrun, after citing a new desire to return to the island, was also a constant companion in Kabru’s life. He’d been developing some desires again, and chasing any whims that came with them–hence his stay on the island. Still, it wasn’t as if the lost desires were coming back anytime soon, so Kabru was dedicated to ensuring his friend was properly taken care of.

Hence the spell for convenience cooking. It was a tempting alternative to late-night treks to the kitchen when lack of desire for food combined with Kabru's busy schedule meant they both hadn't eaten all day.

Mithrun smiled and nodded as he made his way to his room, and Kabru waved in response. Clearing his throat, he sat up straighter to recite the spell.

“Destruere,” Kabru began, “igne pavi–wha-mph!”

Kabru, missing the thud of Mithrun’s footsteps back into the living quarters, was very suddenly interrupted by his roommate’s whole body thrown into his arms and–immediately after–his lips covering Kabru’s. In that moment, Kabru will admit that all logic, training, and thought left his mind. Mithrun’s lips were surprisingly soft, his frame light enough that even fully covering Kabru felt like a comfortable weight in his lap, and Kabru forgot any reason to not close his eyes and kiss back.

Except Mithrun pulled back before he could.

“That spell would have caused an explosion large enough to kill you,” he said, pulling himself from Kabru’s arms with a speed that almost hurt. Almost.

Because Kabru realized it hadn’t been Mithrun’s sudden feelings for his roommate bubbling over into spontaneous action. Just as Kabru had done many times, Mithrun had simply known that the only way to quickly stop a magic user from casting a spell was to make their mouth stop moving entirely. It hadn’t been personal when Mithrun moved away because none of it had been personal.

Kabru felt his face go hot and tried to hide it by looking back down at the spellbook. The top of the page read: “Small fire spell.” Curse Marcille and her love of explosive magic.

“Oh!” Kabru said, still looking down at the book and scratching the back of his neck. “I must have picked the wrong spell.”

“What were you trying to cast?” Mithrun asked, suddenly dropping next to Kabru’s side and peeking over his shoulder at the book.

“Um, Macille often used a spell that would heat the floor so that Senshi could cook with it,” Kabru explained, face now red from embarrassment at the explanation. “I thought it was this one.”

Mithrun hummed and leaned in to read the words on the page. “It is a similar spell, but the words you want are here.” He pointed to a spot further down the page. Marcille had marked it with abbreviated words in common that Kabru hadn’t recognized as anything but gibberish. “It modifies it so that you get the heat and none of the explosion.”

“That…makes sense,” Kabru said with a chuckle. “Thanks, Mithrun.”

“Of course,” the elf said, and Kabru looked up in time to see one of his small, rare smiles. It did nothing for the redness on Kabru’s face. “Would you like help casting this time?”

“Sure,” Kabru said, returning the smile. He placed his hands back on the floor. This time, Mithrun said the words, and Kabru repeated them. The symbols on the floor glowed and when Kabru lifted his hands, he felt warmth radiating from the circle. No explosions seemed imminent.

“It worked!” Kabru exclaimed, clapping Mithrun on the shoulder.

Mithrun smiled again and leaned towards the circle. “I didn’t realize how cold I was until now.”

Kabru whipped his head around. “I told you to wear warm clothing today.”

“I did, but it got too warm in the castle and forgot to put my coat back on.”

Kabru used his hand still on the elf's shoulder to shake him a little. “How many times do I have to tell you to put on proper clothing for the weather!”

“I’m sorry,” Mithrun said, looking away. “I know how frustrating it is taking care of me.”

“What? No, I–” Kabru sighed. “I'm not mad, I just worry. I know you’re a big bad Canary–Former Canary” Kabru corrected when Mithrun opened his mouth to interrupt, “but I still don't want you to get hurt.”

Mithrun nodded. Kabru saw him thinking about what to say next, so he waited it out. He nearly choked when Mithrun suddenly announced, “I have a desire to kiss you.”

“I–what?”

“It felt…nice, and I want to do it again,” Mithrun explained, the clinical nature of his tone sending Kabru reeling.

Because this was Mithrun. Intimidating in battle, utterly helpless at everyday life, and utterly endearing because of it. Kabru would be lying if he said he didn’t think about kissing Mithrun often. But he’d long resigned himself to shoving those thoughts to the back of his head. While he adored the elf in a way he hadn’t felt for many people, he knew the chances of Mithrun returning that affection were less than nil.

“I thought you’d lost the desire for kissing a long time ago,” Kabru said. The elf had a wife before his desires were taken away, and therefore any new romantic desires were unable to return. Right? Surely–surely–Mithrun had kissed his wife. So how could he have this new desire for kissing?

Mithrun shook his head. “I don’t have a desire for kissing, I have a desire to kiss you.”

And fuck if that wasn’t the worst thing for Kabru to hear in that moment. It made him think dangerous thoughts–thoughts that inspired hope that he’d extinguished months ago. And it made him do stupid things.

Stupid things like reaching up to tuck Mithrun's hair behind his ear and saying, “Then I suppose you should kiss me.”

Mithrun’s expression was unreadable–a first in a while for Kabru–but he leaned in until their lips barely brushed against each other. Kabru bridged the rest of the gap, pressing forward in a chaste but firm kiss. He didn’t want to push too far, but he wanted to make sure it was enjoyable. For Mithrun, he told himself, because Mithrun’s desires should be enjoyed.

That thought got shoved to the side immediately when Mithrun made a small noise of delight at the contact. He kissed back, deepening it and putting his hands on Kabru’s chest to steady himself. Kabru felt his logic fly out the window for the second time that evening. He slid his hand further back to cradle Mithrun's head, running his fingers through the silken strands of hair he’d felt many times but never like this. He used his new grip as an anchor as he pressed forward impossibly more, sliding his tongue along the elf’s bottom lip. The delighted noise came again and Kabru had never cursed a need to breathe more. He reluctantly pulled away–enough to gauge Mithrun’s reaction.

“Was that alright?” he whispered, surprised by how utterly wrecked his voice sounded.

Mithrun opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the sound of voices outside their front door. Both men stood as, without knocking, Laios burst in, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement.

“Kabru! Marcille told me she was teaching you magic, so we can be magic practice buddies!”

Laios’s excitement was occasionally adorable, but never in his entire life–not even in their first meeting–had Kabru ever wanted to kill him more.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Absbsbsn I should preface this post by saying that I'm not posting about this to call people stupid or hate or anything

But now that I've caught up to the dungeon meshi anime (as someone who hasn't touched the manga yet), it makes me laugh seeing those posts about anime onlies getting blown out of the water with the "tonal shift"

Like don't get me wrong, all of those scenes in episodes like 12 and 13 are very impactful (the scene where they're trying to bring Falin back after killing the dragon especially got me)

But like, having slice of life esque stuff only to come out of nowhere with dead or horror or gore or blood is not something that just suddenly starts happening in the recent episodes.

Like...after the orcs rushed the bar in that one episode, I started rolling with the punches😂

The first episode started out with Falin being eaten by a dragon

Marcille decided to try the dog method for harvesting mandrake, and it scared me for a minute when the bat collided with the tower and we learned that Marcille heard the scream

Laois is being Laois and wondering if he can eat living armor. He tells the group the story of how he got his sword and we watch him get stabbed through and die

The crew has decided to go and trade the fresh veggies so as to not waste food, so they go into a bar and fail to make it appeal to the bar owner. The bar is suddenly rushed by orcs who start killing people

We get to see all these tidbits of Kabru's party, introducing them as characters, and then Laois and friends come across them and they're DEAD

You think "haha Chilckuck has a funny vendetta against mimics and doesn't want to end up eating one because of Senshi and Laois" and then Chilkuck gets up in the middle of night to get water only to be stuck in a puzzle room of the horror genre variety where he's trying not to get stabbed/killed via trap or killed via mimic. Marcille thinks she accidentally killed Chilchuck for not looking out for him sooner.

Senshi tells the group that he's gonna cross the water without magic and calls up is kelpie friend, Anne, who he talks to everyone about. He gets on and Anne immediately drags him into the water and tries to kill him. Marcille and Chilchuck think Senshi or Laois died or got severely hurt because of the blood that pools to the top. Senshi prepares to eat the monster he once called friend, asking to do it himself

Marcille is worrying about Senshi's hair/beard cleanliness and trying to make the water walk spell work. Chilchuck and Laois walk on the water only to find Kabru's group dead...AGAIN?

Marcille pours out some hot water after cleaning herself and then has a deadly fight with the water spirit. Laois and Senshi go with Tansu's group so he'll heal Marcille (who is incredibly weak). Kiki and Laois almost die via tentacles in the process.

The giant frog throws out Marcille's staff and Laois's weapon. During the giant frog battle, Chilchuk almost gets eaten

Okay okay I'll quit now 😂

It's just funny to me because it felt like Dungeon Meshi is focusing on the slice of life esque bits and the delicious food, but from sudden violence to serious moments it's constantly reminding the audience and characters that the dungeon is a dangerous place, that they're on a dangerous mission, and of the problems beings who live in this world deal with (racial, monetarial, societal, etc)

And I should also mention that while for a while I just kind of saw everything as a constant "slice of life punctuated randomly by the horrors", I no longer feel that way. Honestly, I think it means a lot that so many makings of of the food(s) of the episode moments come just after the characters have been through a terrifying event, and it tells us a lot about the characters by how they handle these events (whether it affects them very visibly or they just kind of smooth over it because they're used to what it's like just being in the dungeon and having to fight for their lives)

[enbyleighlines]

Ugh I am so uncomfortable right now

I have a sinus infection and I haven’t been sleeping well the past couple of nights, so I’m tired, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to fall asleep

But I’m also too tired to do anything else, so I’m just stuck in this state of absolute boredom

So I just binged a bunch of anime today

Finished Dungeon Meshi and loved it. Absolute banger of a show. And so many attractive character designs. Laios? Kabru?? Daya??? The other female dwarf???? That evil elf twink????? The female orc??????

All it needs is a super femme, super bitchy queen bee type character, and it will have satisfied ALL of my types

Also Falin and Marcille are so yuri coded, love that friends to lovers schoolgirl energy

I also watched the first episode of that omegaverse anime. It was p good. I was confused why they decided to make alpha/omega relationships the taboo one, since typically that is the most common one. Because they wanted the characters to face adversity without directly including homophobia, I suppose?

Then why not make them an alpha/alpha or omega/omega pair?? That’s something I haven’t seen before, and it would better align with the whole metaphorical homophobia thing!

I mean, I know why they didn’t, but idk. It would have been more interesting in my opinion.

Additionally, I had a hard time focusing on the anime due to the way they portrayed the child, Hikari. They said he was 1 going on 2, so as someone who works with that age group, I couldn’t help but notice every time Hikari wasn’t acting his age.

I won’t bore anyone with details, but basically, his gross motor movement is pretty behind for a boy who is almost 2. Meanwhile, his cognitive and emotional development is quite advanced for that age group. His ability to speak in nearly full sentences is not entirely out of the realm of possibility (I’ve taught 1 year olds with advanced vocabularies before) but his ability to still access his vocabulary during moments of emotional distress is less convincing.

I wish it was that easy to communicate with toddlers in the midst of an emotional meltdown. It would make teaching so much easier.

However, I did think it was a cute touch that after being compared to a star, Hikari spent the rest of the day pointing out every star he saw and calling it his own name. And I appreciate that they didn’t bother showing us the 20 more times he did the same exact thing the following two weeks.

Toddlers will 100% become obsessed with a tiny detail they overhear, and talk about it almost exclusively for weeks afterwards.

So be careful about what you say around toddlers. You never know what they will internalize and repeat like a broken record for the next 14 days straight.

Anyway, that’s basically my day in a nutshell.

I’m tired of watching anime, so if anyone wants to ramble about something to me to keep me entertained while I ride out this sinus infection, please do so.

You could tell me about one of your ocs, or the last anime you watched, or gush to me about your otp, whatever suits your fancy.

Also, please do contact me if you have thoughts on which cuties from Dungeon Meshi should kiss. So far the only ones I’m shipping are Marcille and Falin, so I am open to learning more about the popular ships of the fandom.

[demacianpuppet]

This is such a good analysis and I keep thinking about at least once a day. However, I do have an important addition to it as well: Having a selfish desires can absolutely save someone. Having selfish desires is actually that we all need to be alive.

Being alive, by its design, is a selfish desire. The theme of eating as act of living is ever present in the story. By eating you oppose your will to live on the ecosystem - be it the meat you eat, the plants you harvest for your meal. Being alive will always mean you will use your selfish desire to live to act and influence the world you live in.

More important, we can see how important these "selfish" desires are for Mithrun and Kabru in the story.

For Mithrun, his desire for revenge allowed him to survive. After he was saved from being a dungeon lord, he was a hollow shell of the man he used to be. We know that most dungeon lord simply die after they reach that state - if you don't have the will to live, you don't eat or care for yourself. However, Mithrun's desire for revenge was strong enough that he was able to get back to the Canaries. Of course, he still has his problems with him being unable to notice things like hunger or the need for sleep, but he managed to actually have a life, a purpose again. This is why he also crashes so hard after the won battle, because this selfish desire is gone and with it his will to live. Luckily, he had the support of Kabru and the Canaries which in their own selfish desires didn't want to leave Mithrun behind. Mithrun's selfish desire was the only reason why he was able to form new human connections which would help him to learn to live again.

As you already mentioned, Kabru is defined a lot by his selfless desire to make sure that Utaya never repeats itself. However, he tries to reach that goal by cutting himself into pieces. He lacks self-respect and retraumizes himself over and over again in the story.

The only two time we actually see him having selfish desires and acting on these, he actually shaped the narrative to his will.

The first time is when he grabs Mithrun and decided to bargain Mithrun's and his own life for the truth. As far he is aware, the Canariea won - they got their hands on the mad mage and they were about to kill the Dungeon Lord. However, in doing so he would allow the elves to regain control of the dungeon and he would never know the truth. He was allowing Thistle and Falin to escape and was ready to die in his search for the truth. With that, he is able to complete turn the narrative because he acted in his selfish desire for truth and autonomy for the short-lived races.

The second time is during the confession scene with Laios. Kabru knows that Laios' loyalty lies with his friends and is very likely to become an enemy now. Marcille is still inexperienced with the power of being a Dungeon Lord and he again could let the Canaries do their job. Instead, he tries to keep Laios safe and then that fails, he confesses that he wants to be friend with Laios. If he would simply go for his selfless desire to prevent another Utaya, it would be easiest thing to simply remove Laios from the equation. However, his selfish desire is stronger.

In this moment, Kabru tells Laios "I want to live in a world in which I get the opportunity to get to know you". Against his better judgement, his desire to live in a world where Laios is part of it is stronger than his trauma and his habit to turn everyone into tool for his own agenda. Because of this selfish desire, he allows Laios to flee and Laios uses thar opportunity to find a permanent solution regarding the demon. Kabru's selfish desire to actually get to know Laios allowed him to actually put his trust into Laios and to pass on the power to change the narrative to him instead. In this moment, Kabru truly wants to live - not just in a world which is only defined by his trauma but in a world in which he can share a meal with someone who would like to call his friend. His selfish desire became the seed to change the future.

A definite theme of dungeon meshi is that of selfishness and selflessness with pretty much every character defined by these two things in some way

most obviously there's the winged lion who's entire existence is defined by selfishness, he just consumes, consumes and consumes, ruining everybody, with labyrinth he is bound to and he himself encouraging and shaping the selfish and selfless desires of others. His greatest desire, to consume everybody is the ultimate act of selfishness in the series yet he frames it as and pretty genuinely views it as an act of great selflessness, which is part of another theme in the show of people imposing their selfless desires on to other people.

As can be seen with Marcille, from the beginning she is shown as the most outwardly selfless, she's the one always wanting to help other adventurers, aside from Laios the loudest advocate for rescuing Falin, resents Namari for abandoning Falin and is shocked to find out Chilchuck is doing this because he is being paid. She's the one who crosses all moral and ethical barriers to save Falin, to defeat the dungeon rabbits. And then we see how she has the greatest most all encompassing desire of them all, to equal everyone's lifespan to one thousand with a selfless motive behind it, that it will erase bigotry between races. The selflessness of it is something she is almost proud, she's insulted and very insistent that she doesn't want more selfish desire like having a child or becoming a full blooded elf. Yet this selfless desire comes from a selfish place of never wanting to experience loss and is a desire (with the winged lions help) becomes one she seeks to impose on others

Similarly to Thistle who is THE example of how selfless desires become twisted and selfish by the dungeon as he original wanted to protect the kingdom and makes sure they live forever, though even then this was a selfish desire imposed upon him by Delgal. Now after a thousand years of running the dungeon he is all selfishness that he views as selflessness.

Then there is the other notable former dungeon master, Mithrun. Once viewed as a pure and selfless man by those around him he harboured countless selfish desires that the demon exploited and consumed, leaving him with what he and others thought was just the desire for revenge. A selfish desire that manifested in a selfless form as he puts his life on the line to rid the world from demons. It's through this we see one of his most interesting traits, his sincere desire to reach out and help other dungeon masters, compared to all other interactions he is never this gentle or talkative with them, the other canaries quite clearly just want to kill them, but Mithrun, one of the very few people who can understand what they're going through talks to them. By the end of the series we also come to know that his selfish desire for revenge was in fact an entirely different selfish desire, to be consumed.

Not on to Izutsumi, she's a character defined by her selfishness, as a result of her upbringing she has to rely on and care for only herself but then she becomes a part of the touden party and is put in a caring environment for the first time, and in response grows to genuinely care for them as well, risking her life in ways she wouldn't have done before. Izutsumi acts as a pretty potent example of the crews selflessness with all of them (except Laios, who they defend her from his monster fixation) acting as parents to her. Marcille gives her the love and affection, both emotional and physical that she'd never received up until that point, and didn't even know she needed. Chilchuckvis the only one with actual experience as a parents and only parental figure who has treated Izutsumi well, he pretty quickly realises she is acting like a teenage girl and quickly adjusts to treating and caring for her as such. Sensei, who is pretty much all paternal instincts cares for her the only way he knows how and is the first person to adjust meals to her needs and desires. Izutsumi can be seen as a demonstration of environments shaping a person, her formative years being treated terribly made her selfish whilst this new caring environment allowed her to become selfless for the first time.

Building off the paternal instincts comment from earlier, that one of the two things that define senshi's selflessness. Sensei is both a deeply mature and deeply selfless character, as a result his selflessness comes in more casual and more adult forms. In respecting the autonomy of others and providing them with food. With these drawing from the two things mentioned earlier, his paternal instincts but also his experiences with starvation. His paternal instincts are best shown in the chapter after Falin is taken as we see inside his head, seeing he views Chilchuck and Marcille as very young and that it is his responsibility to feed them, and considered it a failing on his part if he doesn't. This paternal instinct also is what leads him to secretly resent Laios and Marcille as he believes Chilchuck to be a child and views them as exploiting him and putting him in harms way. His focus on feeding others is of course a result of his experience with starvation, he NEVER wants anyone to go through what he went through and is THE way we see him caring for people outside of the Touden party

Next up Chilchuck, a character who at first seems to be a deeply selfish ones, as he journeys with the group because he is paid to, not because he wants to. But then we do come to respect this, as dungeoneering is a job, a very dangerous one that, and like all jobs it deserves proper compnesation. Which is something he actively tries to facilitate in one of his greatest acts of selflessness, where after having experienced the selfishness of other races and their willingness to use half-foots as bait, he starts a union to ensure proper pay and workers rights for half-foots. Though rather interestingly our first exposure to it is through the deeply selfish Mikbell, who frames what Chilchuck is doing as an act of selfishness. We also soon understand that he deeply cares about his friends, more than even he wants to as he continues to travel with them even when the job is technically done. This does result in a moment of selfless/selfish desire as he seeks to trick the group into leaving falin behind because he genuinely cares about then, he thinks they're in over their head and wants to protect them, again selfless desire that is selfish, though he does come to respect their wishes.

Speaking of Falin. cause of her minimal time to be a character we're left what screen time she gets and that's a character defined by her selflessness, from her communication with ghosts, being framed as a mothrrly figure to Thistle and the acted that began the series, sacrificing her life to save the crew, and would define how they act going forward.

For Namari it caused her to leave and take up the better offers she'd received. A selfish act that Marcille in particular resents her for but is explained by both her backstory, she is trying to buy back the honour her father stole, which would hopefully repair the relationship between the Lord of the island and dwarves, a selfless act, and the establishment of dungeoneering as a dangerous job that deserves compensation, which is why Laios and Chilchuck who do view it as a job don't resent her while Marcille who doesn't view it as a job (a. she's very open about not viewing dungeoneering as a career b. ancient magic research is her goal, thus the particularities of dungeoneering never mattered to her) does resent her. We do see other moments of selflessness from wanting to know Kiki and Kaka's age so she can identify them if they need resurrecting and standing up for Laios. Namari's character is one meant to show selfishness, especially when your life is one the line, is not inherently immoral.

The other crew member who left as a result of Falin's death is Toshiro (Shuro), who immediately goes off to find a strong crew he is hopeful can make it through the dungeon as fast a possible to rescue Falin. In opposition to Namari he is someone who chooses selflessness over this own life, running himself ragged to save her, but it is this focus on her other his needs that causes him to fail, running yourself ragged will leave you unable to succeed, as demonstrated to him by Laios. Laios is a man he resents for various reasons but one of them being that he doesn't see Laios as sincere in his care, that he doesn't express his selflessness in a 'proper' way. That his happy go lucky attitude and focus on keeping himself health are proof that he doesn't care, when in actuality a) that's just who laios is b) Laios looking after himself is a form of selflessness because how can one help others if they can't even stand.

Laios sits in the middle of selfishness and selflessness, defined in equal parts by them. He is completely sincere and dedicated to his selflessness, willing to risk his life and go it alone to save Falin, he seeks non-violent solutions to deal with his human enemies, wanting to talk to Thistle and get him to respect the citizens of the golden kingdom's wishes and doing the same with Marcille alongside working to defeat the winged lion and putting himself on the line to do so, as well as becoming the king of the golden kingdom, which he clearly doesn't want. yet he also has a lot of selfish desires because of this and being an extremely autistic dude with basically no social skills he's viewed as worse than he is, both on his and other's fault. He loves monsters and his entire life is defined by his obsession with them, this obsession spawned from a resentment of humans how they treated his sister (he got over it, he was a teen). He seeks to examine Izutsumi, and while he means no disrespect or anything gross by it, she is a teenager and has some pretty serious trauma surrounding being treated as a circus animal. He disrespects Lycion's treatment to his suicidal body dysmorphia because it's a 'skin deep' appreciation of monsters. He views saving Falin as an opportunity to finally consume monsters, his selfish desires and his willingness to express then when it really isn't an oppurtune time to do so (dude, your sister's life is on the line) mean he is taken at his worst, viewed as literally villain by Kabru and the canaries. Laios as the protagonist of story with pretty clear themes of selflessness and selfishness shows one who is outwardly a very selfish person yet the moment you stop to look is a deeply deeply selfless person, even if he is bad communicating.

This brings us to his foil Kabru. Kabru pretty clearly defines himself by his selflessness, viewing himself as superior for it, believing he should be the one to conquer the dungeon and that Laios is unworthy based on his shallow understanding of him. This selflessness is further deconstructed as something very bad for him as similarly to Toshiro is clearly doesn't value himself like he should, not allowing himself to have selfish desires, with it being pretty clear this worldview is shaped by his childhood trauma, of seeing what the dungeon can do, his survivors guilt and believing he has a duty to prevent it. This brings him into interesting conflict with Mithrun and Laios. The former is someone is a person who literally cannot care for himself and must rely on others to do that for him. His lack of care for himself, unawareness of his own needs astounds Kabru, rather ironically considering Kabru's lack of focus on his own and his focus on Mithrun, who is noted to be looking better than usual thanks to Kabru's treatment by Lycion, indeed his focus on analysing and understanding other people in general can be seen as a form of his selflessness/care for others at his expense. The latter is a person who confounds Kabru, Laios is the first person who Kabru cannot understand, the first person he can't just casually befriend one so utterly antithetical to his own interests as Laios is fixated and loves the very thing Kabru is horrified by, monsters. This also shows arguably the biggest example of Kabru valuing others, his selflessness at his own expense when eats the monster food Laios offered him, looking like he might die as he does so. This horror and confusion causes him become fixated on Laios, he is a puzzle Kabru must solve, but also because of Kabru's views on monsters, selfishness and selflessness he views Laios as an active and terrifying threat that must be stopped. But underlying this is what Kabru refuses to acknowledge until he confronts Laios next time they meet, he wants to befriend Laios, something that horroifies himself, both cause this is Laios, but this is a selfish desire. Admitting to Laios is an admission to himself that he has a selfish desire and that maybe just maybe that isn't so bad and that doesn't make him a lesser person. This acknowledgment that desires are part of who you are is what allows him to reach Mithrun, Kabru developed a new desire, to befriend Laios and thus Mithrun can too. Kabru is very potent foil to Laios, a character defined by selfish desires and seen as dangerous because of them when in fact he is deeply deeply selfless, as he is character who looks down on selfish desire and values selflessness to his own expense, only to learn through Laios that selfish desires are not inherently bad, thus allowing Kabru to help others even more.

And last but not least is elves as a whole and in particular the canaries. Elves are this selflessness and selfishness theme on a societal scale as their racial paternalism means they view it is their duty to look after races whilst also not respecting them or their autonomy and this causing great harm, with the canaries and Milsiril being microcosims of this. The canaries are a force tasked with stopping dungeons a selfless act, though motives selfish as while some clearly do it to save lives, it's established that one of the reasons they do so is to get their hands on the ancient magic inside and their racial paternalism means they don't trust other races to know the secret of dungeons, which almost dooms everybody. We also see how many of the members of it are criminals, who quite frankly are selfish cunts, really racist to non elves and are more than willing to put shorter lived races in harms way to get what they want. Milsiril is this racial paternalism embodied, as she's dedicated her life to looking after children of other races, a selfless desire, but she clearly doesn't see them quite as equals with there also being the implication that this is the result of a selfish desire to deal with her own loneliness.

Desire is a key theme in dungeon meshi with selflessness and selfish being the accompaniment to it that really makes so much it so potent.

[holmsister]

Skip to like. Three weeks later. Both Kabru and Laios have stopped showing up online for a while. The rumor mill is WILD. Both of their reddits have been overcome with this bullshit for a bit so mods have agreed to make a r/KabruLaios (name picked based on alphabetical order, speculation on who tops is bannable!) And that place is fucking RUNNING. Front page of reddit for days in a row. Especially because Kabru has NEVER been so long away from sm. He's irregular in his posting but he's never skipped posting entirely for more than like 2 days. Even when he got his top surgery he was posting from the hospital bed the day of.

So one day about two weeks in Kabru announces a special Let's Have A Kiki stream on his tumblr a week from there and his fans are like HOLY SHIT. Laios announces a special q&a livestream at the exact same time. You must know that while Kabru has been irregularly but semi-frequently doing his silly streams (hes an open book!) Laios has NEVER done a q&a. He kept saying he would do one but then he was always like why would anybody want to know anything about me I'm boring. So his fans are like HOLY SHIT too.

And then radio silence again until the day of.

And the day of the two of them appear on screen and it's THE SAME STREAM on both of their channels. Theyre sitting at Laios' usual livestream desk but the background is different again. Laios is like intensely red and is obviously fighting the instinct to hide but Kabru looks like he is on drugs literally no one has ever seen him giggle like that he's adorable.

Basically it turns out that Falin was waiting for Laios' to find a new roommate in order to move in with Marci. And since Laios' new roommate (Kabru) sleeps in Laios' room (Kabru's grin is HUGE) they are turning Falin's former room into a mini recording studio. They have put together their video equipment and are jn the process of selling doubles to buy some more equipment and finish making the room but in the meantime ta-dah!!!!

Kabru specifies that this is a one time thing to make sure people stop making up shit about them on the internet. And then they go on with what is in the end a pretty regular q&a about mostly Laios and also a few questions about how Kabru feels about dungeon video games and Laios' passion for them etc. And then in the end Kabru is like. ALSO Laios. Do you still wanna do it? And Laios is like well. I do want to show it off. But people please don't make it weird! And he takes off his shirt and shows off his super cool tattoo and he gives bits and pieces of lore - he's clearly super excited about giving more but hes shy. Both chats are like HOLY SHIT. Laios is like I didn't think people would care about that! And kabru is like I told you.

And that's pretty much how it ends. From that moment on they only show up occasionalky like. Laios bringing Kabru Rin and Marcella a new pitcher of margarita and snacks during Kabrus Kiki livestreams (Marcella becomes a frequent guests) and everyone in chat is like. LAIOS 🐺🐺🐺🐺 HEY ITS THE L MAN🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶 LAIOS ARE YOU COMING TO FURCON THIS YEAR🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶 LAIOS YOUR SUCH A GOOD HUSBANDO 🐺🐺🐺🐺🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

And sometimes Kabru will appear for a moment in the background of Laios' streams as he comes in and out of the room (he's out of view when he's sitting at his own desk) and people will be like KABRU ON THE MOVEEEEE😍😍😍😍 LAIOS YOU FORGOT TO CHAIN KABRU AGAIN HES ESCAPING KABRUUU I LOVE YOUUUUU IM UR BIGGEST FANNNN KABRU🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

But like that's it on the streaming side. On the personal side Kabru still forgets his chores sometimes but it's considerably easier to pick up the slack when it's just two people and the fact that he's been eating and sleeping decently and he's no longer in need of going to record in a park at 3am has been doing wonders for his memory. He's even learned how to buy groceries at the farmers market - he's there once a week with his little cart and he's friends with everyone. He's switched from anthropology to cinema because he's decided that's what he's gonna do for a living. He's also picked up a few online teaching gigs so he doesn't have to rely on milsiril that much.

Laios is now full time employee at the grocery store. He still has enough free time to stream. The grocery store is no longer open after 10 pm because objectively no one was going there but Kabru. Kabru had to confess no gym in the area is open 24/7 but its fine hes been forgiven. It's a little bit nostalgic for Laios to close it at night but it's fine. He doesn't mind the idea of being a grocery store guy/streamer forever. His really cool tattoo is still the stuff of legend. He shows it off only on special occasions.

And that's it.

Laios works part-time at a grocery store and is a mildly successful twitch streamer and one time this really fucking hot shirtless dude wanders into frame and everyone on Laios' chat starts freaking out like WHO THE FUCK IS THAT- HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MAN SO BEAUTIFUL YOU STARTED CRYING- LAIOS THERES A HOT DUDE THERE- and Laios is like ahahah that's my friend Kabru! He sometimes comes over after the gym to take a shower while I make him dinner! He loves my food! And everyone in chat is like LAIOS ARE YOU STUPID- LAIOS FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK- LAIOS HES AFTER ANOTHER KIND OF MEAT- and Laios is a little bit offended like. No! He's just nice! Don't be mean you'll make him uncomfortable!

And then someone recognizes Kabru like "OH SHIT I SAW HIS FOUR PARTER ON ART AND MENTAL ILLNESS IT MADE ME CRY" and they dig up his SMs and he's like. A political commentator and activist/youtuber who speaks like 9 languages and has an history degree despite being like 22 and is working towards an anthropology degree now and pays the bills by being a fucking. Fashion model and there's INSANE photoshoots of him in all sort of artsy high fashion pictures in b&w like covered in bloodied bandages in BDSM gear dressed like a priest etc etc interspersed with like very good thinkpieces on consumerism and art and politics and the very rare YouTube 4-parters on random subjects with INCREDIBLE visuals and everyone is like what the fuck. What the FUCK Laios how do you even KNOW this dude and Laios is like he kept showing up at the grocery store during my turn and asking for ideas on what to make for dinner and one guy in chat asks but aren't you usual on at nighttime and he's like yeah it was like 3am for the most part and everyone is like LAIOS PLEASE