#I guess what I'm saying isn't 'these people are so noble' but 'these people are good and decent'...

[catsnuggler]

Shocker of shockers, but the folks who know salmon seasons, know where the watering holes and rivers are, know how to grow crops with little to no annual rainfall or irrigation, built sturdy homes that weathered well, know how local animals sound and how to imitate them and hunt them effectively, could tell nutritious roots from deadly poisons, could make life-saving poultices from plants that seem innocuous to the untrained eye, whose ancestors lived there thousands and thousands of years just might, you know, maybe, possibly, small chance, just uh, theoretically speaking, know a thing or two about how to live and, furthermore, not die, in their own homelands. You know. Just saying. Maybe. Just a thought. Just throwing it out there.

[dunmeshistash]

Why did Milsiril adopt Kabru

Milsiril might be one of the most misunderstood characters in dungeon meshi and I see people making assumptions of why she adopted Kabru based only on their races and not in the characterization, so I wanted to think about some of the "theories" I see the most often about what made her take him in and why I don't agree with them

(read more cause as usual I ranted a lot)

1 - Attention (white elf savior)

This is the one I have the hardest time understanding so I'm starting with it, I've seen people compare Milsiril to irl white wealthy women that adopt "exotic" kids to keep an altruistic appearance. Like a white mother adopting a chinese child because of white savior complex and for everyone to compliment them on how good they are but this idea ignores a core aspect of Milsiril: she doesn't like attention of her peers

Her bio reads: "The people around her teased her, calling her Gloomy Milsiril; partly as a result, she hates elves. (...) She secluded herself deep in the mountains and intentionally lives apart from other elves"

Milsiril is the type of person that has trauma related to her own kin, she was ostracized by everyone including her own family that sent her to the canaries, and as a result she herself refuses to engage with them even when they extend a hand as you can see with past Mithrun. The only other elf she's seen speaking to is Mithrun when he's sick and Helki. Her interest in raising short lived kids isn't seen as altruistic by other elves it's seen as another weird side of her so there's no incentive in elf society for her to do that. So she didn't adopt Kabru because of optics, she clearly doesn't care what other elves think of her and she hid herself from their judging eyes as soon as she was able to.

2 - She wants to feel superior to someone

Another one I find baffling but I can understand a little better since she's constantly seen in the caretaker role. But the evidence I see for this is literally the type of people she surrounds herself with.

The people we know she interacts with willingly are:

Her adopted short lived children

One of her prisoner partners (Helki)

Mithrun when he's in recovery

Based on these I can see how a very uncharitable view can interpret as "she surrounds herself with people that she's superior to" and it is somewhat true. But she's never shown mistreating or actually acting superior to any of them, if anything Helki is constantly hanging out around her (he was pardoned after Utaya and might be her servant now but their interactions seem very casual), Kabru says she teaches her children everything they want to know and she eventually let him go even if before she was hesitant to (as a overprotective parent) and Mithrun was still a noble with several servants when she cared for him so even if he was sick socially he was still the same. (considering both are noble outcasts)

The evidence both for and against the idea that she adopts children to surround herself with people "inferior" to her are all circumstantial so I guess it depends on how you want to see it. I myself think there's no evidence she thinks of them as inferior considering all we see she seems to treat them either as her babies (would you word your feelings for a baby as them being inferior to you?) or as someone she wants to nurture

3 - She wants to be in control of someone (Kabru is her doll)

Related to the above reason but slightly different, in this interpretation I see people assume she doesn't see Kabru as his own person but as one of her dolls to be controlled. As if she raises her children so she can play house and dress up with human dolls.

Honestly that's pretty cool and an amazing visual for an evil mom but there's zero evidence that that's the case. Starting with her actual dolls themselves they aren't dress up dolls or something she puppeteers in an evil way, they're literally her comfort toys she runs to when she's sad

She's making them by hand while crying cause she feels like she doesn't belong, her bio says the dolls are her only friends so it makes me a little sad when people act like her doll hobby is somehow a creepy aspect that makes her seem evil, since that's exactly how the elves think of her (creepy and gloomy)

Milsiril is clearly someone that enjoys taking care of others we see it both with her children and with Mithrun, but how to know if that's actual altruism or some twisted sense of superiority? How to know if she isn't the toxic nurse that just wants to be in power of someone? How to know she is actually helping the people she cares for?

Easy, she helped them until they didn't need her anymore.

She trained Kabru and taught him everything he knows, he's where he is because he had her help even if at first she wanted to prove he wasn't strong enough to go, he was. She sees Kabru as a small child because of their race differences but she still respected him enough to take the training seriously.

Mithrun actually recovered once she could take the time to help him, I keep reminding it but it was years after he was rescued that she went to help with his recovery (his bio says Utaya was what motivated him to finally come back and she was the one that went to tell him about Utaya and help out) right now Mithrun is able to follow a routine and live by himself, Milsiril isn't even someone he talks about as he is now.

Both people we know she cared for are completely independent of her now and neither of them even thinks about her much. A controlling person that wants to keep you within their grasp and keep you needing them would never actually help you be independent of them.

4 - Then why did she adopt Kabru?

I think it's an easy answer the way I see it: shared trauma.

What Kabru went thru is 100 times worse than what Milsiril went thru during Utaya, especially since he was just a small child back then and he lost everything, But Milsiril is still a war veteran, the things Kabru describes, people turning into monsters eating the others, all the death and destruction, Milsiril was there to witness it all and she failed to save them. her bio reads "After the incident in Utaya, she left the Canaries in disgust. She secluded herself deep in the mountains and intentionally lives apart from other elves" she was so traumatized by the events she both left "in disgust" and became a hikikomori. Earlier in her bio it also says "(...) The people around her teased her (...) partly as a result, she hates elves" I sure wonder what's the other part that makes her hate elves. (Probably is the way they dealt with Utaya)

I think she adopted Kabru because she wanted to give a good life to the only survival of the war she fought, the other destiny Kabru could have has would be the same Rin had, a traumatizing stay with the elves, Milsiril saved him from that fate when she adopted him. He wasn't a random brown kid she picked up, they share a traumatizing experience (once again: even if it was 100 times worse for Kabru).

The reason she adopted the other kids is also pretty obvious to me: she likes caring for people and she wants to feel loved. That's her ulterior motive to raise short lived children, she has elf trauma and she wants a family.

That doesn't make her a perfect mom or a perfect person tho*, she's just as flawed as anyone, I feel like people sometimes forget mothers are also human beings with flaws. Being flawed doesn't make her a monster, being loving doesn't make her an angel, she's just a person doing her best.

*She still has the ingrained elf socialization and clearly thinks of her children as babies, she treats teen Kabru almost like a toddler in some interactions. There's also the thing about her not fully understanding the importance of his cultural background. Struggles that I assume are common in interracial adoptions

Disclaimer cause this is the reading comprehension website: This is my interpretation of the character, some of it is very charitable towards Milsiril and I'm not talking about how Kabru might feel about her. I'm trying to think of their relationship thru her perspective and how she treated him because some interpretations seem to come out of nowhere to me. Kabru has complex feelings about elves and about his elf mom but overall I still think "overprotective foster mom" really summarizes his feelings. I don't think he resents her even with her flaws.

[yandereunsolved]

Yandere Daemon: "My crush isn’t picking up on my hints."

Prostitute: "What hints have you given them?"

Yandere Daemon: "Well, I stalk them a lot. Sometimes I even think about kidnapping them."

—

Yandere Daemon: "You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy."

Reader: "I would be happy if you stayed away from me and stopped trying to sabotage my relationships."

Yandere Daemon: "I said within reason, darling. How about I murder that guy that was trying to marry you?"

Reader: "So murder is in reason but my boundaries aren't?"

Yandere Daemon: "Obviously. What kind of question is that?"

—

Yandere Daemon: "My hands are cold."

Reader: "Here, let me hold them."

Yandere Daemon: "My lips are cold too."

Reader: covers Daemon's mouth with their hand

—

Yandere Daemon: "Can I tell them they look nice?"

Rhaenyra: "Sure."

Yandere Daemon: "Can I tell Reader I respect them?"

Rhaenyra: "Maybe, if they ask."

Yandere Daemon: "Should I show them all of the luxuries I am willing to give them... the lengths I am willing to go... if they just give in and love me?"

Rhaenyra: "… Stop hitting on my best friend."

—

Yandere Daemon, pointing: "May I sit there?"

Reader: "That's my lap."

Yandere Daemon: "That doesn't answer my question, darling."

—

Yandere Daemon: "I'm a reverse necromancer for you."

Reader: "I-Isn't that just k-killing people you don't like me talking to?"

Yandere Daemon: "Ah, technicality."

—

Yandere Daemon: "Am I in trouble?"

Reader: "Take a guess."

Yandere Daemon: "No?"

Reader: "Take another guess."

—

Yandere Daemon: "Ok, maybe playing ‘whose family is most dysfunctional’ wasn’t the best idea we’ve had. Reader's been crying in the bathroom for an hour. I can’t get them out..."

—

Yandere Daemon: Walking in to Reader's room. "Sorry I’m late for our tutoring session... I was... doing things." Sounds of running footsteps progressively getting louder.

Random noble Reader talked with: Out of breath. "HE PUSHED ME DOWN THE FUCKIN’ STAIRS."

—

Reader: "Is something burning!?"

Yandere Daemon: "Just my love for you."

Reader: "Caraxes set something on fire again..."

—

Yandere Daemon: "You love me, right, Reader?"

Reader: "Normally, I’d say no without hesitation, but I feel like this is going somewhere and I don’t like it."

[neerons]

Some of Gilbert von Obsidian's best quotes

[Warning: Heavy spoilers about Gilbert's route]

"Ahaha, what is the prince of Obsidian, if not rotten?"

"I hate people."

"No matter how hard I try not to, I can't help but be gentle with her. What kind of villain am I?" (—Gilbert talking about Emma to himself)

"(...) I hope you don't accidentally end up calling me 'big bro' or anything." (—Gilbert to Leon)

"(...) You were just saying what you really think. I don't think doing that is rude. And it's true I'm someone scary."

"I like you because you're so warm, little rabbit."

"Ahaha! You're so sassy. But I like that about you."

"I want to make things awkward for you."

"You can't just focus on the best of someone while ignoring the worst of them."

"If you were a bother, I'd kill you, so don't worry." *smile intensifies*

"...I'm no match for that pure, innocent gaze of yours. You're the only one capable of pushing me around, you know."

"Depending on what you say next, I might just take your head clean off." (—Angry Gilbert to Emma)

"(...) You nearly died. ...Do you have any idea how much that chilled me to the core?"

"The only thing I can ever be for you is a villain. ...Unfortunately."

"...Thank you. I almost got murdered by some dust."

"If you keep on lying over and over about being fine, I might just... Well, you can guess, right?"

"I found it in a book in the little rabbit's room. They need to understand what happens to them if they try to interfere with what's mine... Don't they?" (—Gilbert talking about a poisoned needle targeting Emma to Roderic)

"You said it, remember? You said you wanted me to learn to love Rhodolite. To me, you are Rhodolite."

"Those born with status have the right to do whatever they like to those who are lesser than them. That's what you want to say, isn't it? (...) Hmm? What's that? You look a little distressed for some reason. But I suppose that's no surprise. You see, I have the right to tyrannize you however I please, just as you tyrannized those children who had no one to protect them. I'm imperial royalty, and you're just a third-rate aristocrat. So I'm going to have to teach you just how different our social positions are... Aren't I? (...) Aren't you lucky that we're in Rhodolite? You've narrowly escaped death. If this was Obsidian, you'd be dead for sure. After all, we have no need for disgusting nobles who defile the purity of children." (—Gilbert to a Baron of Rhodolite)

"Wait, so you're telling me you baked cookies for another man, even though I'm right here. Ouch, that hurts."

"(...) if by chance I run into your dear papa, he'll kill me." (—Gilbert talking about Akatsuki)

"Welcome to Obsidian. (...) I introduced myself as Gilbert von Obsidian, didn't I? There's only one person in this country allowed to use the Obsidian name. And that's the emperor."

"There's nothing about you or me that makes one of us intrinsically inferior or superior to the other. Humans are all basically the same. And naturally, from a societal perspective, we probably need people who can take the lead. People who are capable, and talented, who can bring others together, and build a better tomorrow. That's a healthy way to be. I'm the ruler of a country that knows deception and decay all too well, so I understand better than most. That's why my ideal, my ambition, is to conquer all the royalty that have infested this whole continent, and free the people who are under their control."

"I wrote that story based on you. (...) Akatsuki told me a lot of stories about you, and they were always stories about you showing love and affection for others. He made it sound like you believed that the true nature of people is love, and that the happiness of others was what made you the happiest. The idea of living like that was repulsive to me, but at the same time, it made me curious. I got to wondering what sort of choices you'd make, if you were in the same position I was."

"You were bullying small children to amuse yourselves. That Rhodolitian might have stopped at just punching you, but I'm not that kind. Did I make military regulations or didn't I? And do those regulations say attacking non-combattants is forbidden, or don't they?" (—Gilbert to Obsidianite soldiers)

"Then how about you call me papa?" (—Gilbert to Luke)

"...Don't go. (...) I don't know... if I can hold on... until you get back. Being on my own... is lonely..."

"...You're the only one I'll ever love."

"I'm taking your daughter." *smile intensifies* (—Gilbert to Akatsuki)

"I'm not oppressing you with my power, it's just my love for you, overflowing."

"You can't do things like this with other men... Unless you want to see dead bodies."

"You're liked by everybody. A lot of the princes helped you out today. That's because people adore you, and they naturally want to help you out. They're all beasts with strong characters, but you're important to all of them. Do you know how rare that is? That means you're charming to everyone you meet. ...Including me, of course."

"There's no way I'd ever let anyone else kill you. It has to be me."

"I can't just bare my body for free."

"I've never liked seeing you clothe your body in things that other people have put their hands all over."

"Don't force yourself to talk. I'm not so narrow-minded that I'll go around saying you're disrespectful just because you didn't thank me. You're sick; you're supposed to just drink medicine and sleep."

"Wah, boohoo. I can't believe we were on different pages this whole time. I've given you my entire heart, and yet, look at what you've done with it! (...) Waaah, I'm so heartbroken that the only thing that could bury my sadness is world domination!"

"For his sake, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear him call me 'eyepatch bastard'. Rude." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Silvio)

"Her ability to right what was wrong, purify what was once sullied... It runs at complete odds with my nature. I may have truly met my match." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Emma)

"I blinked a few times as my vision seemed to expand all at once... and the little rabbit become clearer and even more beautiful." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Emma)

"I'm never letting you go. If you run away from me, I'll conquer the whole world and follow you to the ends of the earth if that's what it takes. No wait... I just need to control your heart, so that you'll never even want to leave me." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Emma)

"We all approach life differently. Chevalier slices hearts in two. I trample on them. But, you... You respect them."

"I wanted to see you bawling your eyes out."

"You're... the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"I like the little rabbit very much, you see. So I certainly hope that bold declaration of yours doesn't end up turning into a lie." (—Gilbert to Silvio, in Silvio's route)

"I'm not interested in the average woman. There's someone that caught my eye when I was young." (—Gilbert talking to Silvio, Rio, Keith, Sariel and Emma)

"You like these stories, don't you? Ones where a lowly village girl falls in love with a big, bad emperor and makes him change his ways—"

"It's a good thing I was born with a pretty face. If I looked scary without even trying, it would almost be TOO perfect."

"Keith, if you get tired, we can swap places. (...) Shame, Daddy says we can't." (—Gilbert talking about carrying Emma instead of Keith, but is stopped by Sariel)

"I was able to find some... treasure too, so I'm very satisfied with today." (—Gilbert most probably talking about Emma to the other princes and Emma)

"What? You'd like some new heads to decorate the castle's gates?" (—Gilbert to Emma telling him she wants friends)

"After a while of being betrayed over and over again, you start thinking to yourself. That maybe the world would be a better place if everyone who wasn't your friend just dropped dead."

"I know her. But only in fantasy. Because there's no way an Obsidianite royalty can have anything to do with a mere bookstore worker. (...) Die without meeting her? Or die after meeting her. Well, that's easy. I prefer the latter in that case." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Emma)

"I tried to hold down my excitement as I knocked softly on the door. (...) The door opened softly, revealing a woman that was different from what I had imagined. Strange. I thought she'd be more childish looking based on his stories. Her eyes that looked directly at me were clear and devoid of any baseless optimism. She was clearly a woman, not a child. I smiled to carefully hide my surprise. (...) She's purer and prettier than I imagined." (—Gilbert's thoughts about meeting Emma for the very first time)

"Oh, I get it. You think I was with another woman, don't you? Ahaha, you get jealous so easily. But don't worry, I only see you.If it would make you feel better though, I could always kill each and every single woman that gets close to me."

"...And so we've decided to officially hold our wedding ceremony. Can we count on your blessing, papa?" (—Gilbert to Akatsuki)

"You're much more important to me than family, you know. (...) After all, you're still alive, aren't you? I wouldn't kill you no matter what you did."

"I really do love you. And it's because I love you that I want to look good in front of you, and hide the things that I don't want you to see." (—Gilbert talking about his health condition to Emma)

"Do you know how long I've been wanting to officially bind you to me?" (—Gilbert's thoughts)

"Oh, that hurts... I just wanted to shower my beloved fiancee with my love, but I guess you don't want to... I'm absolutely heartbroken now. I might just have to go out and conquer one of the neighboring countries just to soothe myself."

"You're my type of lady. Do you know why? (...) I, for one, enjoy the rebellious, sassy look you always have in your eyes. I feel this strong will— that you will never bow down to me. That even though you're terrified, you won't run away."

[quitealotofsodapop]

So how does courtnapping work??

"Courtnapping"; a mix of "courting" + "kidnap", is basically the demonic version of a proposal.

When demons were still scattered clans/prides across the mortal realm, it was very difficult for clans to interact without a lot of violence involved. Either because of competition for food, or because someone mistoke a glamoured demon for a mortal animal and starting biting.

What's a prospective lover to do if their beloved's family won't let them near without a fight? Easy; steal their lover away so that they can court them (among other things) in private.

As society grew; "courtnapping" became part of the demonic consciousness as a legitimate dating strategy. It was a loud way of announcing your intentions to the intended's family that you wanted them as a mate, whilst also showing off some muscle/magic.

However, demons are not animals. And if the kidnapped party rejects their captor's affections, it is considered polite to let them go. Only *uncouth* demons dare to lock their beloved away without contact with their family. And only truly vile ones (like Kui Mulang or Sai Tai Sui) keep them as forced spouses.

It's downright expected that a demon whisks away their future spouse - after all, who doesn't want to be swept off their feet?

Among wealthier Underworld clans who've adopted celestial/mortal practices, courtnapping isn't as common. Imperial China-style arranged marriages were the norm for the longest time up until a certain Bull Prince fell in love with an Iron Fan warrior, changing the desire among noble demons towards love matches. Courtnapping is considered a legitimate way of declaring "I object!" to an arranged marriage by giving the bride/groom a second option and a moment to rethink the arrangement.

Some wedding parties even hold a mock courtnappings between the new couple so that they can run off from the festivities and enjoy their honeymoon. Think how Spartan weddings involved the groom "kidnapping" the bride from their own ceremony.

Also because of some hilarious idea sharing with @soniclozdplove, we agree; People were kidnapped by demons so frequently in the Imperial era, not because of demon's eating them - but because of *marriage fraud*.

Think of it like this:

China is under strict Confucian and filial piety ideals. If your parent wants you to marry a specific person, you have pretty much no say in the matter.

Unless.

You just so happen to be kidnapped by a demon who wants to keep you as their legally binding spouse.

Human: "Oh no~ I'm captured by an hunky demon who wants to marry me! Guess I'm going to have to stay here and miss out on my arranged marriage." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Demon: "And we can no-fault divorce at any time!" Human's Family: "We'll just take them back!" Lawyer: "Actually you can't. It's a legally binding marriage. Unless the captive expresses their rejection or wants to leave; it's legitimate." Human's Family: "Crap. Well, we'll just hire a mercenary or warrior to reverse-kidnap them back!" (*Later...*) Mercenary: "Avast foul demon! I have been sent to reclaim your stolen bride/groom!" Demon, turns to "captive": "Yay or nay, hun?" Human, looks at mercenary: "Ew. Nay. He's older than my dad." Demon, turning on dramatics: "LEAVE THIS PLACE YOU SOLIDER OF FORTUNE! ONLY ONES WITH PURE HEARTS SHALL TAKE THEM BACK!"

Heres a PortSherry comic I feel is very appropriate.

In more serious scenarios, a courtnapping can be faked to safety remove a person in an abusive home. Abusers can't control you if you're behind a giant lumbering demon with a prenup.

DBK got into this in the Tang-era when he and Princess Jade Face were "married". He was just helping her claim her inheritance, since her dad's will would only pay out if she was married (the Underworld Earth-Fox Clan are the "mimicking human/celestial"-trends types). PIF knew of this arrangement, but was still jealous af and nearly blew the whole of Thunder Mountain in her rage (it was how they learned she was pregnant with Red Son).

Zhu Bajie is an odd duck in this case; since he married Gao Cuilan the normal human way, but his instincts told him to steal her away when her family suddenly became hostile towards him. Cuilan didn't really object because she truly loved him, but was upset that contact between her and her family was cut. Even after the couple are legally divorced; Bajie still considers Cuilan his wife - because in a demonic sense, she's still his willing mate. Lots of stories written about the Pilgrims post-Journey have Bajie go back to her so that they can (in human sense) remarry.

Courtnapping still occurs in the modern day; just with a lot of pre-arranged consent involved. Racing, mock-battles, and the spat with between the lovers' parents - demons do love the thrill of the chase after all. But unplanned kidnappings of desired spouses do still happen.

In Red Son and MK's case; they've accidentally been courting each other for a long time. Mostly because they're dorks who don't realise what their rivalry looks like from the outside - especially during the Season 1 era.

Red Son, showing off his plans: "Here is my current brilliant idea for reclaiming our power! Step 1; We engage Noodle Boy and his friends in battle. Step 2: While you two are occupying Dragon Girl and his fathers, I capture Noodle Boy. Step 3: I keep him hidden in my old base in Fire Wind Cave. Step 4: I have full access to the Staff and all of Noodle Boy's magical abilities! It's foolproof!" DBK & PIF: (*share knowing smiles*) PIF: "Dear, I'm glad that you've finally developed an interest in romantic matters - but our current goals do not align with planning a marriage just yet." Red Son, confused: "Huh?" DBK: "And while it would be advantageous if you married Sun Wukong's heir, I feel that tensions between our families are too high to consider even a superficial union." PIF: "It's really sweet that you considered it though." Red Son: (*turns back to planning board, realises that his plan to capture MK resembles a traditional courtnapping*) Red Son, nearly magenta from embarrassment as he tears up the plan: "Err... never mind then."

In season 3 when Red Son saved Mei, Sandy, and MK from the dessert; DBK & PIF weren't mad that they had enemies at the dinner table - but because at a glance it looked like Red Son had stolen himself a spouse without warning them! And he brought some of his spouses family members to hammer out the details!

If the gang hadn't immediately brought up the Samadhi Fire; DBK's next sentence would have been asking them; "What are your intentions with my child? Do we need to provide a dowry? Is there plans for grandchildren?"

Red Son might have died on the spot. XD

[drenosa]

(parallel to this)

Ren: *Wearing a shirt that says "ReNorance Faire Guest"* So you really want to stay home rather than joining Nora and I at the Renaissance Faire? She is always happy to see you, you know.

Jaune: *In casual clothes, doing some documentational work* I know, I know. Don't get me wrong, I think she's fun to be around too. I... just don't want to be the third wheel to you guys.

Ren: Isn't this year's theme going to be more medieval though? I thought you loved that time period?

Jaune: I do! Still do, I mean. *Huffs tiredly* I'm just a bit too busy to think about having fun right now, I guess.

Ren: So your reason for not going isn't related to any supposed embarrassment at the last event we went to?

Jaune: No! Not at all, I mean... I had fun? There where nice people there?

Ren: I see. So what if I informed you that one of those "nice people" would also likely attend?

Jaune: I would... wait, what? Who's going to be there?!

Ren: I think I recall her... Of tall height, with amazonian athleticism, and if I remember your words correctly, in possesion of "The most beautiful locks of red hair I've ever seen.".

Jaune: *Now in noble garments, ready to stride out the door* My most stalwart friend, you have convinced me. Let us march!

[sleeplesssmol]

I think Vertin might be a tactile person.

Here are examples taken from the voice lines and context clues.  This isn't an all conclusive list of touchy interactions, just what I could find. Someone stop her before she gets hurt. Update: I'm going to keep adding on as we find more interactions together because this is really fun.

Sotheby (hat and hair): Stop it! You can't just touch an adult's head! (She is 13. Vertin probably sees her as a baby and pat her head).

Bette (hands): Ha ha ... They might be a little rough. To tightly grab the eave does require abundant practice. (assuming Vertin is holding her hand. Don’t ask me how we got here.)

Rabies (clothing and torso): Straws ... be hugged. Rabies ... feels it. (she hugged him 🥹)

A Knight (hat and hair): One step further, and you will be in close contact with Someone's nose... As long as you can hit Someone's head. (how close is Vertin standing to the AK? Or maybe she was looking for an invisible head to pat.)

Mesmer Jr (Hands) :Compared to the incurable anxiety, these wounds are minor. Oh, watch your distance. (smh Vertin not everyone likes being touched.)

Melania (hat and hair): "Well done. Please keep on." ...Aren't you going to say that? (more headpats but Melania needs vocal praise too.)

Lilya

Clothing and torso:  Feel awesome? Now it's my turn to pet you. (...what is Vertin petting? This is clothing and torso but I'm lost.)

Hat and hair: You should be grateful that I am too lazy to move now. Or you should know that the first-class pilot’s got a first-glass head-butt, too. (Vertin taking advantage of the moment to give headpats. I'm telling you, its a THING)

Leilani (Hands): Shaka brah! Ooh! Do you want a handshake or a high-five, my friend? I'm fine with either! (She’s so wholesome)

Cristallo 

hat and hair: Are you patting my head? The doctor says, this is a reward for good children. Have I done something right? 

Hands and sleeves: Would you like to hold my hands? I could be with you anytime. (Cristallo is weak and frail. The nurses say she could be blown away by a gust of wind. Despite this she says she’ll be with Vertin anytime. To me it reads as Vertin being worried Cristallo will disappear too. Cristallo notices so she offers to hold hands and says she will always be here as a way to comfort her.)

Darley Clatter

Hat and Hair:  Oh ... I can't deny you are really good at patting.

Clothing and Torso: Take a look at my beautiful muscles! I don't need to explain how fabulous I am. Hey, watch out! Rub me in the direction my mane grows.

Bonus Intimacy : Adorable? Ahh? You don't even have a taste! (Vertin pets him and calls him adorable. Darley, don’t let the girlies know. They might end your noble bloodline.)

Pavia (Hat and Hair): Wanna know how many holes I've made on others' heads? No? Then stop it. (What possessed her to give Pavia headpats?)

Dikke (hat and hair): Thou art overstepping my boundaries, arcanist. (I’m guessing Vertin is at it again with the headpats. Dikke smiles when she says this so she isn’t offended. If anything, she seems amused. )

Eternity (hands and sleeves): Go on, try holding it, and feel its temperature rising in your hand… Easy, sweetheart… take it easy, heh heh… (more hand holding but Vertin wasn’t prepared this time)

An-an Lee (hands and sleeves): What? You want a palm reading? (Vertin, why are you like this? Are you randomly touching people's hands?)

Regulus (hands and sleeves): What do you want? I don't have any spare scratch. (I'm sure she knows you're broke since she's your boss. Vertin's just being Vertin at this point.)

Vertin leads Regulus by the hand into her Suitcase in the prologue

Blonney (hands): Interesting! It's been a while since I last met someone who would start with holding hands.

She also holds Blonney's hand as she calms her down during the green lake event.

I feel like I should have picked up on this sooner. Gift-giving, hand holding, and headpats. This is the Timekeeper way.

[gale-dekarios]

Favorite thing about Gale Dekarios?

it's embarrassing how long i spent sitting with this trying to think about my all time favourite thing about gale, because there's so much. i like that he's a dork, and sickeningly sincere, and i like that he's a cook, that he loves his not-a-cat, and that all he'd need to complete the ultimate wizard stereotype is a pointy hat and long grey beard.

but when it all boils down to it, i love that he's willing to try, after all of it. he, out of all the companions, probably fucked up the most. and i dont necessarily mean hes in the most fucked up position, i dont think you can really compare what the companions are going through as individuals like that, what i mean is that to go from the lover of mystra, an archmage, quite possibly one of the most powerful people in the sword coast if not the whole of toril, to a dude you have to pull out of a malfunctioning portal, an embarrassing footnote in a goddess's history, about to die, from the orb, or ceremorphosis, or just generally being out in the wilderness as a level one wizard likely for the first time in his life ever, well, it's a lot isn't it?

the only person who could come close to understanding that level of a drop is perhaps wyll, but then again, wyll didn't so much as fall as he took a leap that he knew would end poorly for him, not to mention that wyll was seventeen. not that he'd likely make another choice now that he's older bc he's wyll, but gale, at least from his perspective, can't hide behind the greater good, or youth, from what he did.

gale's at rock bottom, and he doesn't have karlach's cheer to make up for the fact that he's dying, tadpole or no.

there's no way i would be able to keep going after all of that. id find a large field in the middle of nowhere and wait until the end comes for me. but gale doesn't. he keeps going, even though he's pretty sure he's going to die and it's all futile anyway, he keeps going. and he makes connections, despite the fact it could all be snuffed out in an instant. he goes through what's possibly the world's most messiest break up, one that quite literally is going to kill him, and yet when he's told he can redeem himself, to make the embarrassing footnote into a noble one, all it takes is you asking him to live for him to throw all of that aside, his entire past, everything he ever worked for, for the idea of a future that might not ever come. and he doesn't even need to be in love with you for him to agree to that.

he wants to live anyway. no matter how much more difficult is. no matter how unsure he is that he's actually got anything to go back to. he has a tara, and wine, and food, and books, and quite possibly the weirdest band of people he's ever met, and he decides THAT'S enough. sure, the ideas of something greater never fully leave the edge of his psyche, but again, if you ask him to, if you show him life's worth living, he'll then give up actual godhood just so he can keep tara curled in his lap, the taste of good food and wine in his mouth, the feeling of paper under his fingertips, and a room full of love and laughter, in whatever capacity that may be.

it's hard to condense all of that into one word, into one attribute, so i guess what i'm trying to say is that my favourite thing about gale is that he's alive.

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Chapter 56

Who would you pick if there was a Dungeon Meshi dating sim?

I bet the person covered up by Laios is Chilchuck's daughter and the one covered by Leed (I looked her up cause I didn't want to keep calling her "Zon's sister") is his wife.

I love how this image makes it look like Laios really wants to be in the conversation but Marcille has zero interest in knowing anything about his love life. He's just standing there excitedly waiting to answer her questions and she's ignoring him.

I got my answer to who the mystery woman in chapter 52 is. She's just a former party member who was looking for a husband and left when that failed. She's no one of importance. She probably only took an interest in Laios because of the rumors that he's a prince or descendant of the Golden Castle. And Shuro is a noble from the east, so there were two opportunities to cozy up to a potentially wealthy suitor.

I'm gonna take a quick guess at some of the Touden party's history. Kabru's mental image of the party in chapter 45 labeled Marcille as "Mystery woman", so Marcille probably is the newest member of the team. And since she and the two mystery figures have no rapport, they likely left before she joined.

The Half-foot who introduced Laios to Chilchuck was also part of the gold-peelers. And that one scumbag was included in the panel from chapter 52 of what I assume is Laios's first meeting with people who have been in his party.

So here's the timeline I imagine happened:

Initial formation: Laios, Falin, and the scumbag. The half-foot ends up recommending Chilchuck at some point

The temp joins to be with Falin but quickly leaves

Namari, Shuro, and the woman join at some point. The woman and the scumbag both leave to be with each other

Marcille joins

Chapter 1 happens

This is where that one image comes from!!

Laios and Falin once had fiances? Were they arranged by their parents back home?

Marcille brought back the hairbraid headband but is keeping the rest of her hair in a loose ponytail.

I think we can throw out the concept of dungeon floors at this point.

I'm going to assume the whole thing about unicorns and bicorns representing purity and corruption isn't real in this world. I can't say anything for the unicorn since the only one we saw was being mind-controlled, but the bicorn's behaviour can be explained by it being a horse, an animal notorious for being easily spooked.

Marcille has only one solution to every problem.

Ambrosia is still growing miscellaneous branches. Maybe it's reacting to the greater mana concentration. I hope it's a sign that the dryad twigs Marcille added are starting to kick in and a dryad familiar will grow out of it.

Got excited to see this sandwich and disappointed to see that Izutsumi's doesn't have mushrooms. I was hoping she would have kept the part where her orc form liked them.

During the last few chapters, Izutsumi has worn her scarf loose around her neck. The bow came back this chapter. I'm sticking with my assertion that Marcille is the one doing that and it just adds to how much Izutsumi likes Marcille that she lets her do that.

This is the first time Izutsumi's been part of the party getting into hijinks of their own volition and she is not happy.

Chilchuck making a racial comment at Marcille just killed all the humor. Marcille seems to get really touchy whenever anyone starts commenting about her race. I think back to chapter 20 when Mr Tansu and Namari complained about elves when they learned how Marcille angered an undine and she responded "My race has nothing to do with it!"

At some point, Laios and Senshi seemed to forget that Izutsumi can walk on her own. Laios drops her when he tries to jump the bicorn and Senshi carries her over his shoulders for the rest of the encounter.

I was expecting the bicorn to kick Laios instead of run away.

Senshi is going to have to have "The talk" with her later.

Izutsumi, acting as the straight man in the party's antics, was the only one who kept her head straight when everything went too far.

Again, I don't think the bicorn's connection to corruption is true in-universe. It's a carnivorous horse. I think it was simply being wary of the party because it's a horse but sticking close in the hopes one of them might approach it alone. As soon as Chilchuck, the easiest prey, came near it, the bicorn attacked him.

The party members from Chilchuck's flashback were the guys from the beginning of the chapter.

What if Chilchuck introducing them to his wife led to the party inevitably breaking up? Chilchuck shows them his wife and they all see this happy, loving couple and they all start to think how they'd like to have that life as well. They may have held some budding feelings for each other, but seeing Chilchuck and his wife made everyone start to become more open about their feelings. And this caused the rift that tore the party apart.

Or maybe I'm just acting like Marcille and letting all my thoughts be dictated by romance novel plots.

Senshi's brain completely turned off when Marcille started talking romance. He just doesn't care.

I take back what I said about Marcille having any creativity. She didn't come up with The Tribe of Pelkian. She just copied the plot of The Daltian Clan.

Izutsumi was enraptured by The Tribe of Pelkian. Maybe she'd like reading this series.

Chilchuck has THREE daughters. Are they who he referred to back in chapter 30 when he said he has three people to think about?

I did a bit of digging into the translation and the word Chilchuck used in chapter 48 was 娘 (musume) which can mean both "daughter" or "daughters". So in Japanese, Chilchuck was being vague when he mentioned his family. But in English, he straight-up lied to Senshi when he tried to get him to tell them about his past.

Chilchuck is 29, 14 is considered adult age for a half-foot, and he has three adult daughters. If his youngest is 14, then he had her when he was 15. And since Chilchuck was with a different party when his wife left him, that probably means his daughters are all a bit older than that. Chilchuck is the Half-foot equivalent of a teen dad.

back

[mercy-misrule]

apologies for discoursing a little but i've been immersed in arcane fic and it's making me think

people are so fucking weird about writing disabled characters.

you know what sucks? ignoring or erasing disability.

you know what also sucks? thinking that disabled people don't want to exist without disability.

there's not an easy way out of this topic. you don't get a quick and clear way to write chronic pain.

as a disabled person, with chronic pain, i cannot express how much i would change my body to not experience it. it does not add anything to my life that's good or noble. I would rip out my knees and ankles with my bare hands if it could lead to a world where movement did not constantly cause me pain.

when people write Viktor getting to have a pain free existence, it is life affirming to read. because, god what a dream, the concept of health.

but when people write fic that suggests that without his disability he's somehow a better person? that sucks. that's gross to read.

and the same thing goes the other way.

reading fic where Viktor deals with his disability, lives his life, hates it, is used to it, succeeds while dealing with the discomfort and distress it causes, that's also life affirming. that's realistic and grounded.

reading fic where Viktor is only defined by his disability, is a figure of pity, is shunned, is infantalised, is helpless is gross. its also completely out of whack with any canon.

people are obsessed with writing Viktor as having experienced really active and verbal discrimination, but i think the more interesting and, honestly sinister thing that Arcane shows him surviving is the passive, ingrained ableism of the system.

People aren't out there throwing fruit at him, or calling him names, they are ignoring his disability and health. The way disability can render you invisible is so much more connected to real life and also the canon of the show.

Lmao, this post isn't meant to be reassuring, I guess. I just want people to be thoughtful when writing disability and consider the intent of what they write.

I also don't want people thinking they are saying anything valuable when they are like "writing Viktor getting to heal is bad!"

Can it be? Sure. 100%. It can suck so much.

But is it absolutely a thing real life disabled people want? Many of us. Especially chronic pain. It's not easy!

...I'm not going to write my rant about disabled sexuality yet, but it's in my brain. It's lurking in there.

[bluespiritshonour]

Why is it always Robin has to prove himself to Batman? Be it any Robin. And no, I'm not talking about characters, because Bruce—Bruce is like “Everyone must prove themselves to me but I'm not answerable to anyone” that motherfucker. Very IC.

I'm talking about stories, about narratives—why does every Robin-centric narrative has a “prove themselves to Batman” arc—but Bruce's arc never involves proving himself to anyone?

Why, after the events of the Tower of Babel, Bruce didn't have to work to gain the Justice League's approval? Why didn't he have to work to redeem himself, dammit!

Yes. He had to reveal his identity. But then, it wasn't his idea. It was Clark's. It's fundamentally different from Dick unmasking in front of the Titans: Dick feels in his bones that it isn't fair that he's the only one masked and the Titans are up for mutiny, so he made an executive decision.

It didn't even occur to Bruce to do it. Dammit, the fucker wasn't even trying to get back into Justice League. Clark had to persuade him. And no, I don't mean he should have gone and begged them to let him in. He doesn't need them.

But let's be honest: none of the Leaguers need the League. But humanity does. That's why they put their differences aside and band together.

Bruce is selfless when it comes to sacrificing his family a la Batman : Ego. Oh!—it's Bruce's children that are dying in Batman's mission. Isn't he so noble?—the picture of tragedy? The greiving father? The man who can't even have a steady romantic relationship because Batman wouldn't let him? So selfless—until he isn't. Until the JL—in other words, a planet full of people—need him to swallow his pride. Then, he isn't selfless anymore.

He's selfless when he's a father sending his children to war for the greater good—but he's not selfless when it's time to swallow his pride, to take the risk of trusting someone even after being traumatised and betrayed—for the greater good. (And honestly his trust issues seem narcissistic when surrounded by people like Dick, Alfred and freaking Commissioner Gordon!)

You know who does it? Dick Grayson. That's who. The “trust no one” maxim has been drilled into him by Bruce, but even then he chooses to trust. Not because he's stupid, but because it's a requirement. He totally expects to be stabbed in the back; he isn't naïve. But he'd rather be betrayed than have someone be barred from help because they seemed suspicious. It's canon in Titans. He says it in words, look it up. To Brother Blood, I guess.

Bruce didn't have to work to get on the League's good side. He just had to reveal his ID to regain trust and that, too, was Clark's idea.

And that's not an attempt at redemption, because if it was, then why did Clark have to do it too? Clark didn't do anything to deserve it. But Bruce forces him to and Clark agrees: for the greater good that the League trusting each other would ensure.

Clark Kent, who chooses to forego a mask so that people trust him. Literally, it comes down to that. Who has to built his whole civilian life around the fact that he shows his bare fucking face to the whole world.

And honestly, if I were to throw genre convention aside and read the text the hard way, Bruce doesn't seem really all that bothered with keeping his ID a secret. He's nothing compared to Clark. I mean. Come on, look at the number of people who know Bruce's ID and the number that know Clark's and tell me. Fucking tell me who's more serious about that stuff.

Bruce's entire existence hinges on other characters’ kindness, in and out of universe. In-universe there's this massive brigade of people who know his ID and keep it a secret. Out of universe, writers who show him to be the best even though Clark, Diana, Dick are all more worthy than him.

This is what you get when you let little incels run creative industries.

What did Bruce ever have to do to redeem himself to anyone? Literally anyone? Bruce would let Gotham burn if it meant he keeps his colossal pride intact. But oh, send his children to die: woe is him, this greiving father, so tragique—would absolutely do that.

He isn't even a hero. You know the impact of Batman: Ego and BtAS pales when put next to his very selfish acts when it comes to himself.

Because always—ALWAYS—the uwu factor in Bruce's stories aren't personal.

Not like it's in Clark's who has to face xenophobia because he's an alien. He's natural existence—his powers that are a part of him existing—being called a threat. He still helps.

Not like Diana who comes to the Man's World and decides to stay behind despite it being, well, a Man's World. That would never really respect her as much as it respects a man, any man, even though she's a literal Goddess. Coming and staying in Man's World for her means loneliness. Being immortal and watching every friend she ever made become a memory. But she chose to do it. Because at the end of the day, it's not about her. It's about helping people.

But for Bruce, in true male-is-default fashion, it's about losing people. People he loves.

His parents' death, Jason's death and so on and so forth. I'm not saying losing someone is not painful. I'm just saying it's always about his manpain.

Making the victim's pain his.

[feroluce]

So I saw this post yesterday about whether Belobog had had phones before the Astral Express landed, or if the Trailblazers were the ones who brought them and distributed them to Jarilo-VI for the current characters. There were some mixed views and guesses in the comments.

And the answer is actually....both!

If you look at the text messages from a lot of the Belobog characters, most of them will actually allude to not knowing how to use a phone, which isn't something you get on the Xianzhou Luofu, even though they have the jade abaci. Oleg even specifically says that March 7th gave him his.

And there's also this line from Gepard and Serval's companion quest:

He's so cute I love him

Meanwhile Sampo has been running scams with selling supposed ancient relic mobile phones to the rich nobles up topside- tbh I think he could sell ice cubes in Belobog if he really put his mind to it, so he could probably make this work no matter what, knowing him. But a scam like this would not work NEARLY as well unless the general populace didn't know anything about cell phones or how they work.

(It's extra funny when you remember that he's not even a Belobog native, man has probably been hiding a phone from everyone for however long he's been there, and he absolutely knows how they work slzjkskwms)

I'm going to shove him through a meat grinder (affectionate)

While it's possible it would be way harder to get signal out there, we know from the When Business Comes Knocking adventure mission (the fact that THE TRAILBLAZER is the one who tipped off the IPC about Jarilo-VI's revival, and over something so stupid, thus leading to the invasion during the Solwarm Festival in 1.4 fucking KILLS me fjkdlsajfkdlaj) that phones CAN get some kind of signal even as far out as Everwinter Hill. So it makes this line from Serval's online introduction seem like even stronger proof that Belobog had no phones, because there's no way Gepard and Serval wouldn't text each other to at least occasionally check in while he was out in such a dangerous place.

The final nail in the coffin is actually from an IPC worker out near the Pillars of Creation, who says the Astral Express brought phones to Jarilo-VI (they say it's just a rumor, but no yeah I'm sure it's real given everything before this haha) and then admit they've been using the technological gap and lack of knowledge to make money on the side.

So. Belobog didn't have phones when the Express landed. But. But!

They did 700 years ago.

In one of the daily missions, you can encounter this echo in Backwater Pass, who shows you pictures on his phone. He mentions Alisa Rand, the very first Supreme Guardian, and the war against the Antimatter Legion, but he doesn't know what the Fragmentum is. So we know this had to happen only shortly after the Eternal Freeze came about.

And I've seen people complain how ridiculous it is that the surrounding areas of Belobog have so little flora or fauna, and how real snow tundras don't work like that. And it has been a very long time since then, but. I'm not quite sure how much water that holds, because that's not what happened here.

The Eternal Freeze didn't slowly move in. This wasn't some natural process. It just happened.

This was an environmental disaster on a planetwide scale. There was no time to prepare and most of the wildlife couldn't even live long enough to adapt or evolve. All of Jarilo-VI was on the verge of extinction; the Antimatter Legion had them at the precipice, and Alisa Rand had to make a choice. It was a desperate decision under dire straits and it didn't come without cost.

And you can see just how devastating the effects were from that previous conversation- the man regards his own phone as a pre-war relic. His wife died of illness due to the cold. His son was forced to take up a career he didn't want. Everything was put on hold. Everyone who managed to survive had to fully devote themselves to the cause.

Belobog lost entire eras of knowledge, because they were all scrambling for survival. Whatever kind of mobile phones they had before the war and the Eternal Freeze, they were lost in the ensuing chaos, until the Astral Express landed and brought new technology for the first time in 700 long years.

So- the answer is both!

[shisekibo]

[Story Translation] Chapter Eight - A Bond Between Three [Episode Two: Part Five]

↫ previous story | story list | next story ↬

- A Few Minutes Later -

Fennesz:

“I'm sorry for making you wait. Here, water."

Boschi:

“Oh. Thanks."

Haures:

“Thank you, Fennesz."

Fennesz:

“You're welcome."

Fennesz:

“But it really was an amazing fight. I was moved."

Boschi:

“We weren't putting on a show."

Boschi:

“You think I wanted you to watch me lose like that?"

Haures:

“Duels are mostly about luck. Who knows what'll happen if we fight again."

Fennesz:

“It's 50/50 now. You're drawing again."

Fennesz:

“I wonder if you'll ever find a winner."

Fennesz:

“Either way, you're not allowed to fight again today. You both look worn-out."

Boschi:

“I don't have the energy left to even try."

Boschi:

“I really did give it everything I have. Shit..."

Haures:

“Hey, Boschi."

Boschi:

“Huh? What do you want?"

Haures:

“You really are strong."

Boschi:

“What?! What's going on?"

Haures:

“I don't want to sound conceited, but I'm pretty confident in my skill with a sword."

Haures:

“But... You really poked some holes in my pride."

Haures:

“I really do think it was thanks to you that I was able to become stronger."

Boschi:

“What on earth are you talking about? You're making my skin crawl."

Boschi:

“Pft. Whatever."

Haures:

“That's why I have a favour to ask of you."

Haures:

“Can you show me how to use a sword?"

Boschi:

“What...?"

Haures:

“You're not only strong but you're elegant too. I have the strength, but I'm nowhere near as flexible and graceful as you, Boschi."

Haures:

“I want to get stronger. Please, take me."

Boschi:

“Are you stupid? Why would I teach you?"

Haures:

“Come on. We're friends, right? We live on the same floor."

Haures:

“It's important for us to help each other out. As comrades."

Boschi:

“No way."

Haures:

“Why not?"

Boschi:

“Isn't it obvious? Why would I teach my rival how to be better with a sword?"

Haures:

“Don't say that! I'll teach you some tips for making your blows stronger."

Boschi:

“You really are stupid."

Haures:

“Please, Boschi!"

Boschi:

“I said not."

Fennesz:

“Hahaha."

Boschi:

“Oi! What are you laughing at, Fennesz?"

Fennesz:

“I'm sorry. Your conversation was just so funny."

Haures:

“Was it? I was being serious."

Boschi:

“It's because what you're saying is ridiculous."

Fennesz:

“Haha. Watching you two makes me a bit jealous."

Fennesz:

“Before I became a Devil Butler, I was completely alone..."

Fennesz:

“I didn't have rivals or people to encourage me to grow."

Fennesz:

“I always wanted something like that."

Haures:

“What are you talking about, Fennesz?"

Fennesz:

“Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bore you by talking about myself."

Fennesz:

“I'm really sorry for interrupting."

Haures:

“No, that's not what I mean."

Haures:

“Why are you talking about us like only Boschi and I are friends and you're not involved?"

Haures:

“All three of us are partners."

Fennesz:

“...! Haures..."

Haures:

“Boschi. You should say something too."

Boschi:

“About what?"

Haures:

“Just say something to make Fennesz feel better."

Boschi:

“He's not a kid. He'll be fine without it."

Fennesz:

“Thank you both..."

Haures:

“I'm the one who should be saying thank you."

Haures:

“Fennesz, Boschi. It's really reassuring having you both with me."

Haures:

“I need you both. Let's keep working together from now on."

Fennesz:

“Of course!"

Boschi:

“Pft."

Fennesz:

“I think our bond really deepened that day."

Fennesz:

“Boschi... I can't just stand by and let Haures die."

Fennesz:

“I want to help him."

Fennesz:

“I can't change the nobles' minds like Mr. Lucas. There's probably not that much I even can do..."

Fennesz:

“But Haures is our friend."

Fennesz:

“I'll do anything to save him."

Fennesz:

“What about you?"

Boschi:

“...sigh... I guess we don't have a choice."

Boschi:

“Fennesz. We need to find Mr. Berrien."

Fennesz:

“Huh?"

Boschi:

“We need to talk to him about how to stop them executing Haures."

[kvetchlandia]

Pompilio Villarubbia Norri Roman Poet Gaius Valerius Catullus c.1935

When I was in high school, everyone was taking smart choice foreign languages: French, Spanish, German. I'm sure people would have taken Mandarin had my school offered it. But no, not me. I had to do the lame thing and go for the useless. I took Latin. By the time I hit university, I was pretty advanced in the language, but hadn't yet subjected myself to the barbarism of Medieval Church Latin (sorry, but what can I tell ya? I'm a classicist, I guess). Anyway, in my first term at Berkeley, I took an intensive course so I could hop right into translation of serious classical documents. My instructor (I still remember her name, which was great. She was called Tizzzie) had us select a Catullus poem to translate, just as a warm up. At random, because I didn't know it, I chose Catullus 58, one of the Lesbia poems. Lesbia was Catullus' love for a while, and he wrote a bunch of lovely romantic poems inspired by and dedicated to her. Then they had a nasty breakup and he took out the literary knives. Here is Catullus 58 in Latin:

Caeli, Lesbia nostra, Lesbia illa, illa Lesbia, quam Catullus unam plus quam se atque suos amavit omnes, nunc in quadriviis et angiportis glubit magnanimi Remi nepotes.

The reason I'm telling this boring tale is this: Look at the last line. Do you see the first word in the line - glubit (3rd person singular of the verb glubere, if you really wanted to know, which I rather doubt is the case). Well, I had no idea what the verb meant, never having encountered it before. I looked it up in my little student's Latin/English dictionary, only to find that it didn't appear there. Mystified, I went to the Doe Library, Berkeley's main library, where they had a bunch of Latin/English dictionaries. I grabbed one off the shelf at random and finally found a definition, which was "to bark back." I was like, "to bark back," what the fuck does that mean? Finally, I went to the humungous Oxford Latin Dictionary, in which at last I found a definition that made some sense. That would be - glubere: to pull back the foreskin prior to giving oral sex.

Damn, Latin actually had a piece of sex slang which literally meant to pull back the foreskin prior to giving a blow job! I learned this at UC Berkeley. And people say college isn't good for anything!

And, for those few of you who've bothered to read this far, here's my translation of the poem:

Caelius, our Lesbia, that Lesbia, that same Lesbia, who alone Catullus once loved more than himself and all others, now in the crossroads and alleyways pulls back the foreskins and sucks off the descendants of noble Remus.

OK, that's our lesson for the day. Be prepared for a quiz tomorrow. Class dismissed.

[butwhatifidothis]

I LOVED To Be a Creature, and it genuinely creeped me out to see the things Edelgard and Hubert said to Byleth (though it's the same as the game, stripped out of its voice acting and background music, the dialogue is so much more horrifying). Really makes me wonder if Edelgard's love for Byleth is genuine in any way. Do you think there's any real love there or is it just obsession?

Thank you!!! I had a feeling that placing Edelgard and Hubert's words in a context that isn't meant to make them look flattering would really let their casual racism shine, and I'm glad it's seeming like that is in fact the impression people are getting lol. SO sorry for the late answer btw 😭😭😭

As for whether Edelgard's love is genuine... I got opinions lmao.

got a bit long lmao under the cut it goes

If Edelgard felt the way she does for Byleth on exclusively SS and CF, I could maybe see how this is a "genuine" love (insofar as a love steeped in "I may hate your race but you're special and Not Like The Other Ones because I think you're special to me" can, uh, ever be genuine, in any case). But because Edelgard still feels as strongly towards Byleth on AM and VW where she quite literally never talks to them directly in any meaningful way, it becomes waaaaay more like she's just weirdly obsessed with this person who saved her one singular time ever five years ago from an attack Edelgard set up. It makes the "love" way more forced and contrived and obviously trying to squeeze tears out of the player for standing up against the cute girly trying to murder them. Or, alternatively, it makes Edelgard come off as manipulative, saying that she just wanted to walk with Byleth and it makes her so sad to HAVE to fight Byleth because BYLETH wouldn't stand by HER - and she's saying this on AM/VW to a person she's talked to in conversation a cumulative, what? Hour? Two? Maybe a few days, being nice? Over the course of, being as absolutely generous as physically possible and not counting the five years Byleth was missing... two fucking years? She's shitting herself over fighting this stranger she doesn't fucking know? Yeah, sure buddy, whatever you say - you see what I mean?

And honestly even outside of those two routes, I think it's more that she sees Byleth as being hers rather than actually liking them for who they are. A body to stand next to her and tell her how right she is and comfort her - who doesn't have the background of "I was literally raised to think this is my only purpose in life" muddying the sincerity of the brown-nosing - who also happens to also act as The Perfect Fighter and The Perfect Strategist to actively help her get what she wants. That view of Byleth being a tool doesn't really go away unless they marry her, seen by how they quite literally get nothing for all they've done for Edelgard should they go unmarried to a noble (guess they just weren't meritable enough once their use to her was done).

As well as how much more Edelgard doesn't like Byleth disagreeing with her or otherwise going against her flow than pretty much anyone else in the game - you lose supports points if you don't think the Black Eagle Strike Force name she made is good, she quickly denies the notion that Byleth isn't detached from others/emotions and insists they are just like she is, she gives them the same callous and thoughtless words she was apparently given once in her life while they are in the midst of mourning their recently murdered father so that they get over it already and get back to being useful to her (directly saying she will only reach out her hand when it's time for HER to move forward, not when BYLETH heals from WATCHING THEIR DAD DIE IN THEIR FUCKING ARMS MAYBE A WEEK AGO). She never treats Byleth kindly unless they do everything she wants, which like. Isn't love???? At all????

There's just this... weirdly possessive air Edelgard has around Byleth that always threw me off, especially with how easily she admits to have been willing to kill them so far into CF and how readily she cuts ties with them the second the fighting's done (which is particular because how just how clingy she was to Byleth everywhere else - you know during all that time Byleth had a use to her). Incorporating that into being an intentional part of her character is certainly interesting, but not in a way that's flattering to the idea of Edelgard genuinely being in love with Byleth lmao.

Personally tho, even disregarding almost everything else, the simple explanation is that I don't think you can really sit there and say you love someone while openly hating part of their racial heritage. Wild thought, I know lmao

[juneiper-art]

I don't really understand the idea that Davrin's story is mostly about Assan. I don't think his story is about Assan at all, though it is obviously inextricably tied to Assan (but I'd argue, so is Emmrich's story with Manfred). All the conversations Davrin has about Assan aren't about Assan, they're about him.

Davrin is this character who left behind a peaceful life because he was hotheaded and young and didn't see value in it. He fell into the cultishness of the Wardens exactly because this grand idea of the sword against the darkness is appealing (especially to a young person). And once he is a warden, Davrin gets that exact Warden fatalism that depicts the order as being in a never ending, relentless, glorious war. Davrin bought in. He sees himself with that grim determination as having only one future- war without end. And when he meets Assan, he makes the exact same assumption about the griffon. To him, Assan is a symbol of that exact determined path of war. As Rook you can say that Assan 'is the perfect warden' and he agrees. Because to him, the idea of being a warden is only to be a tool of war.

He simply does not see any other possibility for himself and his future. He will die a warden and he wants to do so killing an archdemon. I guess I relate to how Davrin is 'growing up' in this story. He had Assan forced upon him and through caring about something and nurturing it, he's seeing the world differently. Sometimes you have to be forced into a position of care to understand the value of it, compared to that rhetoric noble ideal of warriors. This life of nurturing that he so brashly dismissed is something that he begins to realize has more value than he thought. Maybe the most value.

The fatalism isn't true. Endless war isn't the only possible future and it isn't the only path to glory. If you choose to give the griffons to Arlathan forest, this is extremely apparent, because what Davrin does is honor the value of building a future.

Sorry to bring film into this, but it's a joy of mine, but it reminds me of in Rome, Open City, in Pina's character. She's not a resistance fighter, she's not out risking her life against the darkness, but what she is doing is seeing a future. She's imagining past the war, past the losses and the suffering and the destruction. She presents a path of resistance that's through hope. When she dies, it is as though the future dies with her, because the resistance fighters aren't thinking about the future, they're thinking nobly about dying for their cause, of becoming heroic martyrs. And I think this is exactly the change Davrin experiences. He starts to hope for a future instead of being resigned to a glorious death.

So yeah, I guess Assan is like, the motivating factor in that storytelling, but I just think simplifying it to 'it's about Assan' is like, not doing credit to this theme that I find to be extremely heart wrenching, especially when so much of the focus and glory goes to 'warriors' and not the people at home...building a life. Maybe something something about Achilles and choosing a life of obscurity. Do you see what I'm saying.