#I WANT THEM TO KIIIIIISSSSSSS

[fumifooms]

Meanwhile Lycion and Kuro are much more of a willing domestication thing.

It's interesting to argue where the dehumanization comes from in their case. Kuro sort of resigns himself to dehumanization, but he also generally rationalizes it and diminishes its significance because of it, Mickbell does everything he does because he's anxious and I want him to help be happier, so I'm his employee but more of his guardian really and I want to follow him everywhere actually. With Lycion and dehumanization, it's interesting because- Okay so they all have some level of external dehumanization right, aka from society, Kuro is self-evident but Laios doesn't fit in anywhere and saw with Falin in their hometown what that looks like very well, Mickbell by being a poor homeless half-foot, and Lycion... We know little of his background but we can assume he wasn't well off. He has no house name, he's from the southern central continent and what we see of him shirtless and beaten up, and that he'd get involved in underground fighting... But as things are during canon, the dehumanization very much comes from him being a criminal and prisoner.

All this to say, that's external but there's also internal dehumanization. Kuro normalizes the dehumanization he experiences, Mickbell's is more in line with Chilchuck where they don't think of themselves highly but it's not necessarily dehumanization perse- both don't mind presenting themselves as immoral but Chilchuck very much compensates the external dehumanization by hyperperforming his humanity, following laws and focusing on having a spotless professional life. Laios and Lycion are different because they actively dehumanize themselves and find empowerment within it. Laios likes who he is, even if he finds tallmen boring, but replaces his want to be accepted socially with a fantasy of not being human in the first place, of not needing external human approval. Lycion though didn't like who he was, it was only by becoming something else that he grew self-love, by dehumanizing himself he grew and felt more human in turn. Perhaps freeing himself from human beauty standards, not just breaking rules but burning the whole rulebook, shattering the state of things that it was based on until it doesn't even concern him. It's not about becoming something specific as much as it's about becoming something different, something he can take pride in. I could spin so many parallels and contrasts with Laios here but this is is just a tangent

Lycion is different, because he's already had his arc, he knows how he wants to be, he's already found the place where he feels he belongs, and like the two others it's less of a where and more of a with who.

Lycion is very self-driven in that as long as he can be happy with himself it's what matters most. He rejects the world, but Fleki is the leash he's helpless to —but more interestingly— and wants to be on. Both Mickbell and Laios have to learn to be confident enough in the belief that they can be freely loved and that they do belong somewhere with someone, but Lycion's playing another game. Mickbell claws at people he loves so that they stay and Laios prefers to believe no one holds him dear at all in the fear it may prove wrong, but Lycion loves freely and expects nothing back. Just wishes for more, but has learned to be content, sated. He has desires but he's fine with them not being met, with a relationship being onesided like the others fear. Mickbell and Laios are dogs despite themselves, but Lycion is a dog and accepts it fully. He waits at the foot of the bed of his master waiting to be loved. He is Hachiko

Mickbell imposes himself because he doesn't think he's good enough to be loved, Laios tries not to impose himself because he doesn't think he's good enough to be loved, Lycion doesn't impose himself because he's content with loving even if that love is not returned the same. Perhaps because he's experienced what it's like not to love yourself, self-love is the only validation and fuel he needs— the confidence he grew himself for himself, confidence that both Laios and Mickbell try to make endure in a "it's me against the world" dynamic of denying they need others' validation. And that's why Lycion can love like a dog without restraints or setbacks

Like Kuro, Lycion sees love as a selfless activity that's intrinsically worth partaking in. Laios was taught it can only be engaged with selflessly, onesidedly, with no to little expectations, and Mickbell learned it was only something he could succeed at by being selfish, with demands and restrictions. Lycion is content letting Fleki be a bird, hanging into the unlabeled inbetweens of care and commitment and reciprocity. You are your dog's world, but you have a world beyond your dog. Your dog loves you all the same, doesn't it?

The ultimate dogboy in Dunmeshi to me isn’t Laios, Lycion or even Kuro. It’s Mickbell.

Little dog man’s never had enough. Little dog man has someone in his hands already but it’s not all that he’s wanted and craved. He’s hungered for so long and now he doesn’t know what can quench it. When you’ve been hungry, once you have something it’s hard to not binge at because you never know when you’ll lose it. He wants more from them, more of them, more to chew, more safely locked within his teeth, more to taste on his tongue. Hungry greedy unkempt misbehaved. I think he loves like a dog I think he slobbers and digs his teeth in because he doesn’t want to let his bone go and he’s hungry and starved.

And he’s not like Laios he’s not like Kuro he’s not like Lycion, calling him a dog in any way would be the greatest offense to him but also it’s true. Sorry. Dogboy against your consent. You better be ready to unpack a lot of stuff you don’t like hearing about yourself!!!! The unwilling dogboy analogies are the most interesting ones get out Laios and Lycion. Mick doesn’t want to be a dog, it’s dehumanizing, demeaning, but he is, he loves like a dog.

Feeling dehumanized and demeaned by loving so much, by being walked on a leash by your feelings until your body acts on instinct like it’s primal and animalistic, for feelings you cannot control, and you’re drooling you’re drooling you’re clawing teeth snapping but you’re on hands and knees begging for scraps and treats. Just a dog picking up crumbs of a fine meal from where it’s dropped on the floor, affection from coerced hands, peanuts of self-esteem from judging others, anything to soothe while surviving.

It will come back by Hozier save me. "I love like a dog" and everyone is unhappy about this, it’s too much for everyone involved, 10/10. Dunmeshi animalistic metaphors you never miss. Stray dog mick. If I don’t use a dog motif in my mick fics it’s not me someone is impersonating me

This was my train of thought for the mickbell & kuro web weaving i made a while ago I guess. Dog imagery mickbell you will always get to me…

Little dog man wants a white picket fence family and house, somewhere someone to belong to :( Okay that’s more Kuro actually, happy to just have hus little kennel day after day just following his owner, shackling yourself for the love. Ough.

Mickbell, my ultimate dogboy... He plays the part so well (derogatory)

Coughing blood