#Kui probably has everything about her in her mind but we only see her as passerby in other people's stories

[dunmeshistash]

Hope you don't mind if I answer your tags

#im not super qualified to talk about this bc im amerimutt through and through#but Milsiril is definitely in the position of a 'white' mother adopting a child from a conflict that she was pretty directly engaged in#(or was tangentially related to as a Canary veteran)#in the short about food from peoples childhoods kabru is about to bring up food from his youth in Utaya#but Misiril's glowing expecting face makes him back down#(obviously a little put upon)#and talk about elvish desserts she gave him#her lack of interest and care for his home culture#and a seeming lack of understanding for why *kabru* would care about it#idk we see her basically twice#once where she is a prototypical obstacle to Kabru growing up (which is normal for coming of age stories)#and one where she puts her own feelings ahead of her son's#bc her happiness is dependent on kabru's childhood being uncomplicatedly happy#otherwise shes failed#I do still bet theres some outsized hatred for her for sure#but the two times we see her it is *not* in a flattering light#im not an adopted immigrant but i am VERY familiar with the neurotic white mom with fragile emotions

I am not qualified either since I don't have much information about adoptive families let alone inter-racial adoptive families so as it relates to real life I have very little context

But I can talk about Dungeon Meshi, and yes both times we see Milsiril in the story aren't very flattering and honestly she's barely acknowledged for most of it, most info we have about Milsiril is in supplementary content but that's also what I find fascinating, since it seems that people made up their minds to hate her with just the couple of times we see her in the story

In the actual story my opinion of Milsiril was "she sure was there" and forgot about it, I went in more dept about her manga appearances in this old post

The info we get about Milsiril in Kabru's backstory story is "she is an overprotective mother, she cares for short lived children, she is a ruthless master and she has something wrong with her" (several scars in her arms and a personality that flips from crybaby to ruthless)

Then in Mithrun's backstory we see a completely different Milsiril that's gloomy and that almost mercy kills Mithrun before deciding to spare his life cause he "might be useful".

We only see her as she relates to these two character's past, one of them a highly edited version of her to fit the story Kabru wanted to tell and the other Kabru's recollection of when he finally decided he would stop something like Utaya from happening again which has her as an obstacle he had to overcome.

So I understand why she isn't a fan favorite from those small appearances, but I don't think there's much there to straight up hate her and assume she had a hand at a traumatizing childhood for Kabru (since his trauma stems from Utaya not elves, like Rin) but when you go to the extra information about Milsiril is when I think people's reactions get the most extreme

The extra you mentioned I think it's the worst Milsiril gets

in the short about food from peoples childhoods kabru is about to bring up food from his youth in Utaya#but Misiril's glowing expecting face makes him back down#(obviously a little put upon)#and talk about elvish desserts she gave him#her lack of interest and care for his home culture#and a seeming lack of understanding for why *kabru* would care about it

That was a real bad look Milsiril. I do think it's an exaggeration to infer "lack of interest and care for his home culture" just from this since she doesn't say anything and makes an even worse face when he complains about the taste, to me this is insensitivity due to ignorance not a lack of interest in her child.

All the other interactions we have of her, especially when it's not in a joke comic about sweets, she acts and is described as taking an interest in her children, including Kabru.

I'll only pull up this one comic cause I feel like I rant about Milsiril way too much but this is from the adventurer's bible, which I assume most people that want a better look into the characters have read.

She immediately takes an interest in his worries, he trusts her with an insecurity and she does her best in her way to help him in the way she knows how (which might not be appropriate since not everyone responds well to thick books and research work when they're insecure about something but Kabru is that type that loves it)

Anyway, then Kabru describes her as "She made every effort to answer her children's questions and satisfy their curiosity", to me this indicates interest in them, and at no point she stops Kabru from talking about his past to her as the sweets extra might make it seem like, in this conversation he's even referring to his bio mother as mom without any resistance or discomfort from Milsiril. But she is from a society that famously dismiss other cultures, especially short lived ones, and even tho she is an outcast it has affected how she interacts with the world, so yes no excuses for the fruitcake thing, white mom moment.

I don't really see this part in her tho

#and one where she puts her own feelings ahead of her son's#bc her happiness is dependent on kabru's childhood being uncomplicatedly happy#otherwise shes failed

She wants to protect Kabru because she also has trauma related to Utaya, she wanted him to be safe and happy because she's overprotective, and she teaches him how be a murder machine for the same reason. You talked about how she was involved in the incident but I don't think people realize how involved she was since that information isn't widespread

She dug this small child out of rubble in a tragedy she was supposed to prevent, a tragedy that left her so traumatized and disgusted with her own kind she ran away and secluded herself in the mountains

Most of my issues, and fascination, with Milsiril's perception in the fandom is that every extra info people seem to get about her is twisted into a context where it would be bad

>She cared for Mithrun? It's probably cause he was pathetic and she felt good to have power over him, or better yet, she wanted to use him to destroy the dungeon, you know cause she's a puppetmaster

>She is friends with Helki? Is probably because he's a prisoner and she keeps him around cause she's superior to him

>She adopts and cares for short lived children? She sees them as animals not humans, famous human trafficker Otta said so.

>She became closer with Helki because he was abandoned by his past comrades? Damn she's so disgusting she only likes people if they're inferior

(edit: just to be clear these are all paraphrasing actual things I've seen people say about her)

When there's no evidence that her motivation really is that. She's flawed but every dungeon meshi character is flawed, so it makes me sad that no matter what is said or revealed about her people seem to twist into something nefarious.

Like, don't get me wrong, I can see a way to explore the negative effects she might have had on Kabru, especially because Kabru is literally the last living person from Utaya and was raised by someone that is completely alien to it, but I think that making her into a fully evil and not redeemable character in the "there's nuance everywhere" story just makes it much less interesting.

I'm now feeling embarrassed for talking so long about Milsiril so I'll go hide again but if for some reason anyone wants to read me going on and on about her you can read this post about why I think Milsiril adopted Kabru and this post about why I think she helped out Mithrun

Am once again thinking about Milsiril and the general fandom impression of her, it's fascinating

[hesther-mcg]

wishful thinking

request: Anonymous said:Hi! I saw your mai x reader and it was amazinf!! so could I request a Mai x waterbender!reader hc/ one shot (whichever you wanna do!!) The way you write her is amazing!!☺️

pairing: mai x waterbender!reader

warnings: idk how to feel abt this :/// if it’s not what u were wanting i’m sorry i can always do another part 

a/n: super long! maybe not good, who knows! i tried my best, but maybe this could be continued? waterbender!reader goes to the boiling rock prison break party?? some more pining, maybe some words exchanged between reader and mai?? 

creds to owner, i couldn't find them :(

“Aang and Sokka, I wish you a good journey,” Earth King Kui bid farewell. “Ba Sing Se owes you it’s thanks, and we look forward to your safe return.” 

Your group of friends bowed to him, small smiles on all of your faces. You had finally managed to get to him and tell him about the war, and expose Long Feng, and now each of you had specific tasks to complete. It made you slightly uncomfortable to split up, but things were never easy in times of war. 

You had decided to stay behind in the city with Katara so she wouldn’t be alone. Sokka deserved to see his father, so she had so kindly opted out of the journey, and upon realizing you had no business at the Eastern Temple with Aang you chose to stay with her. 

“Your Majesty,” a guard came up, alerting everyone. “There are three female warriors here to see you. They’re from the island of Kyoshi.” 

“That’s Suki!” Sokka yelled as he fell to the ground from Appa’s side. He groaned dramatically as he squirmed around, and you reached a hand out to help him. 

“You know these warriors?” The Earth King questioned, taking a few steps forward. 

“Oh yeah,” Sokka replied as he stood up straight. “The Kyoshi Warriors are a skilled group of fighters. Trustworthy, too.” He smiled. “They’re good friends of ours.”

The Earth King nodded his head. “Then we shall welcome them as honored guests.”

--------------------

The sun was high in they sky as the Kyoshi Warriors made their way down the path before them, lined with Earth Kingdom guards on either side. The three girls, in matching makeup and uniform, wore stoic expressions as they inched closer to the King. 

“In our hour of need, it is with the highest honor that I welcome our esteemed allies,” he extended his hands, and the girls kneeled before him, resting their painted foreheads against their hands. “The Kyoshi Warriors.” 

Slowly, they rose back up, revealing their faces to the very man they were there to overthrow. “We are the Earth King’s humble servants,” the girl in front mused, eyes sharp. 

--------------------

You sighed. You knew that this was what you’d signed up for when you stayed behind with Katara, but that didn’t mean you enjoyed the things you had to do. You sat on the ground beside your friend, Momo resting on your shoulder, and a large map of the four nations separated the both you from the row of Generals you were speaking with. They were so far away you couldn't even make out their features, and you were sure that the both of you looked like two specks of blue rather than kids. 

“General Fong’s base will serve as the launching point for the attack. In exactly two months, the Army and Navy will invade the Fire Nation on The Day of Black Sun,” he moved his arms about, and the clay pieces on the map that represented Earth King forces moved. They glided towards the Fire Nation Capital, and Momo flew from your shoulder and landed with a small crash, and all the pieces fell over. 

“Or we could send in Momo to do some damage,” Katara joked with a laughed as the lemur moved around and knocked more things over. “Cause the...” when she was met with a stern silence, you nudged her with your elbow. “Sorry,” she quietened down and you rubbed her arm a few times.

General How closed his fist and all the pieces erected themselves, causing Momo to jump with a screech and retreat to the comfort of your shoulder. “All we need is the Earth King’s seal in order to execute the plan,” he placed down a scroll, and it glided towards the pair of you on a block of stone. 

Katara picked up the scroll as you both rose up from the ground. “We’ll get these scrolls to him right away. Thank you, General How.” You bowed and turned away from the men, and together you and Katara took off down the corridor. 

The walk through the Upper Ring was nice, Ba Sing Se truly was a beautiful place. It was nothing like what you and Katara were used to, which was snow, ice, and water. The North and the South had their differences but one thing rang true for both places; it was cold and wet and blue, but it was home. The city was different, hues of green and yellow filling the streets, gold trinkets lining the windows of some shops, expensive clothes on racks in others. 

But the nice tea shop that caught your eye was probably the nicest thing you’d seen. It was beautiful and shiny, and evidently very popular. “Hey, Katara, let’s get some tea!” You pointed towards the building. “Come on, it’ll be nice,” you smiled and batted your eyelashes, giving her your best pleading expression. 

“Hmm, alright,” she agreed. “What do you say, Momo? A cup of tea before we get back to the  Earth King?” She asked the lemur on your shoulder. He chattered in response, looking between the both of you with his large eyes. It was all you needed to start heading towards the shop. 

You were greeted at the entrance after trekking up the steps. “Table for three, please.” Katara spoke to the pretty woman while your eyes scanned the surrounding area. 

“Uncle!” A familiar voice shouted. “I need two jasmine, one green, and one lychee.” None other than Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, the very boy who’d been hunting you and your friends for so long, wore a uniform and flitted around the shop. You nudged the girl beside you, and she gasped. 

“I’m brewing as fast as I can,” the old man you recognized as Zuko’s uncle assured with a small smile, standing in the kitchen area of the tea shop. It was as if time had stopped, and everything in the world went out of whack. Nothing made sense, this didn’t make sense. 

Nothing needed to be said, no look needed to be shared; you and Katara had the same thought in mind. 

We need to tell the Earth King. 

The both of you bolted down the stairs and ran away, flashes of blue heading towards to King. You were panting by the time you got there, but the relief of seeing Suki resting on the ground in front of the throne, her gold headband and oil makeup familiar and comforting, was sweet. 

“Thank goodness you’re here, Suki,” Katara rushed. “Something terrible is going on. The Fire Nation has infiltrated the city. I just saw Prince Zuko and his uncle!” 

Suki’s eyes widened a fraction before a sly grin grew on her lips. It was then you realized that this wasn’t your friend, and the two girls resting behind her weren’t Kyoshi Warriors either. You don’t know why it had taken you so long to figure out, or why Katara still hadn’t figured it out herself. This girl was acting nothing like Suki, and it was so painfully obvious now. 

“We have to tell the Earth King right away!” Katara urged, and your eyes cut to her. Something was wrong, and when the girl wearing your friend’s headband, and your friend’s uniform stood up, the female waterbender finally figured it out. 

“Oh don’t worry.” The mystery girl assured, slowly stepping forward into the light, and her golden eyes shined. “I’ll be sure to let him know.”

Momo screeched and flew from your shoulder, fleeing to who knows where; but you didn’t mind, he was safer elsewhere. Suddenly, the Chi blocker you’d fought on several occasions leapt forward, a flurry of flips and handstands and acrobatics. Her hand landed on Katara’s shoulder as she flew over her, and the your friend dropped to the floor. The water she had pulled from her pouch sloshed to the ground, and you pulled it up and combined it with your own water. 

Before you could do anything, however, the girl grabbed you in the same spot she ahd grabbed your friend, and she pulled you backwards. You lost the sensation in your limbs, and you dropped and landed in a puddle of water. 

“So, Zu Zu’s in the city, too.” Azula mused, walking closer to the both of you. You could only see above you, and the girl with the knives you’d been thinking about since Omashu entered your line of sight. The edges were blurry, and steadily growing more fuzzy, but you’d recognize her any day-- even with the makeup. 

“I think it’s time for a family reunion.” 

--------------------

“How’d you learn that?” You asked, and the girl beside you chuckled. You were sitting so close together that your’re arms brushed every so often. 

“I was bored in my room, so I taught myself a trick,” she shrugged, throwing another knife at the wall. It stuck an inch away from the one she’d thrown just before, not any higher or lower. 

“Well, you’re really good,” you complimented, and your cheeks reddened. “You think you could teach me?”

She looked at you, her dark hair shining in the light. She grinned at you, small but sweet nonetheless. “Sure,” she drawled. “Someday.” 

You couldn’t take your eyes off of her. She was so pretty, and she looked so cool and collected. She was a complete mystery, one you wanted so desperately to solve. 

--------------------

That was wishful thinking. 

You wouldn’t get to see her that close, or brush your arm against hers, or have her smile at you. She was on Azula’s side, and you were on Aang’s. It was as simple as that. None of the other factors needed to be mentioned; like how you didn’t know her name, or her age, or how she got mixed up in the schemes of the Royal family. 

You wouldn’t get to learn how to throw knives, or just what to do to make the Fire Nation girl smile like she did whenever you dreamt of her. That’s all you would ever have, dreams and wishful thinking. 

[nitewrighter]

The Symphony of the Universe, The Blueprint of Life

Felt like writing some first interactions between Sigma and Talon. Mostly lots of Sigma and Moira talking because I like how they bounce off each other.

----

The interior of the room had been rendered his own personal solar system, or even galaxy, of a sorts. Papers and books drifted around him in wide ellipses, not hitting the walls. He was the sun, or the black hole at its center, his bare feet not touching the tiles as he frowned at the whiteboard which hovered off the floor closest to him—presumably the object of the greatest mass in the room. They had let him change from the orange jumpsuit of his previous holding facility to a slightly more dignified set of teal scrubs with a gray long-sleeved undershirt.

“So. We brought a bomb back to base,” said Sombra, folding her arms as they looked through the one-way glass.

“Not a bomb,” said Akande.

“Yeah yeah, bombs explode, he implodes—let’s be pedantic about it,” said Sombra, “The point is, he’s one skipped xanax or one too-strong coffee away from turning the base into rubble.”

“So he’ll fit right in,” said Reaper.

“I love you, Gabe, but I’ve never seen you crush a guy like a beer can with your mind,” said Sombra, “The guy needs help. Like help-help or this could end up blowing up in our faces.... or imploding in our faces.”

“Nonsense. He has to have some control if he can keep it contained to the room,” said Moira, leaning close to the glass, “I don’t believe the human brain yet has the architecture to shoulder what he’s been burdened with. But if anyone could grow to understand it, to control it… it’s him.”

“He merely needs an environment to foster that growth,” Akande agreed, “And we will provide it.”

“Wow, we’re so charitable,” said Sombra, flatly.

“Talon stands for the advancement of humankind, Sombra,” said Akande, “Our friend here has been gifted with something great, and how did his government treat him for it? Imprisonment, isolation, sedation… is this how we treat the next steps in human evolution?”

“So, who’s going to be the first to un-isolate him?” said Sombra, putting her hands on her hips.

Moira briskly stepped over to the door into the room.

“I was only being half serious,” said Sombra.

“You’re right. He needs someone to talk to. To help him acclimate,” said Moira, sipping her coffee.

“Not to rag on your bedside manner but---” Sombra started but Moira put her hand on the panel next to the door. It slid open and she walked in. 

Sombra looked between Doomfist and Reaper. “So we’re just letting her do this?”

“Yes,” said Doomfist, putting a weighty hand on Sombra’s shoulder in a ‘Settle down’ motion.

“She knows what she’s doing,” said Reaper, “...most of the time.”

Sombra gave a deep inhale through her nostrils.

“Doctor De Kui--” Moira started and then flinched as her feet drifted off of the ground. Her feet flailed beneath her briefly but she saw she was caught up in the same ring of revolution as several books and a few loose sheets of paper. The furthermost ring of the room from him. She suddenly gripped her coffee cup with alarm, expecting the liquid to float out from it.

“Your coffee should be gyroscopically contained to your cup,” said Sigma, observing his own mug as it drifted by. He took it and sipped it. Decaf, of course, but there was still an equalizing element about it.

“Thank you,” said Moira, glancing down at the liquid spinning in her cup as she neared her first complete revolution of the room, “Well--I certainly don’t like floating against my will, but thank you for not spilling my coffee.”

“My apologies for any inconvenience,” said Sigma, not even looking up from his whiteboard, “I think better like this. I would have to rearrange everything to keep you on the ground, you understand.”

“Typical man in STEM—everything has to revolve around you,” said Moira, tilting her head.

Siebren glanced up from his whiteboard to her, watching as she floated by. She was smirking.

“I recognize you.” There was a flicker in his eyes, fear, maybe. “Moira O’Deorain.”

“...you read my paper,” said Moira.

“Everyone read your paper,” said Sigma, “Unfortunate... what followed after.”

“Unfortunate? You believe my findings?” Moira arched an eyebrow. 

“I’m living proof that you can follow an experiment model to a ‘T’ and not get the expected results,” said Sigma, “Is it fair to label someone a pariah simply because you can’t replicate their experiment results?” He looked at his own hands, “Do you think anyone would try to--no--” he shook his head, “No. They wouldn’t. They shouldn’t.”

“Siebren,” Moira spoke his name and he seemed to compose himself again.

 He glanced over at her. “That’s not why I recognized you, however. You and the others--you were at the facility.”

“I wanted to see your condition for myself,” said Moira, “A very interesting case, yours... The Dutch government claimed you died on the space station, and yet... there you were. There had been reports of certain phenomena in the area so... we investigated. And we liberated.”

“’We,’” Sigma repeated the word and then gave a glance to the glass. He couldn’t see through it of course, but he frowned. “They’re watching us now, aren’t they? Your associates?”

“For our safety, yes,” said Moira.

“Safety--” Something seemed to flicker in Sigma’s expression again, “How long has it been since I was last sedated?”

“With the dosages of your old facility?” Moira glanced off in thought a moment, “I’d say... 22 hours.”

“Twenty-two!” Sigma repeated with some horror, “No--no--It’s not--you shouldn’t--”

Just stay calm,” said Moira.

“But at the facility--to keep everyone safe they had to-- they had to---” Sigma pressed his fingertips to his forehead, “I can’t control it--”

Moira looked down to see the liquid in her coffee cup floating upward in a liquidy cloud. The objects in the room previously caught in a leisurely planetary revolution around Sigma began shuddering. He was losing control.

---

“Should we do something?” Sombra was close to the glass, watching the objects shudder around Sigma as he pressed the heels of his hands to his forehead, “She’s in there! She could be--!”

“She can handle herself,” said Reaper.

---

“Siebren,” Moira spoke his name but he seemed to hardly hear her, inhaling sharply and erratically, “Siebren,” she said again, more harshly this time. She released her coffee cup and faded, turning to smoke and shooting through the other rings of objects floating around the room until she reformed and took ahold of Sigma’s shoulder, “Siebren!” she barked.

He startled at her touch and the objects shuddering around the room froze.

“You’ve been in control,” said Moira, “But your control isn’t going to improve if we keep knocking you out. The people at your old facility were wrong, Siebren. They were afraid. They didn’t understand what they were dealing with. They kept you from your work.”

It was as if those last six words flipped a switch in Sigma. He blinked. “My work...” he said quietly and then looked back at his whiteboard, “Yes--my work--they wouldn’t let me...” he trailed off, “They didn’t understand,” he said softly, before looking up at her, “Do you understand?”

“We want to understand,” said Moira, “But we believe the first person who’s going to understand this, if anyone, is you.”

Sigma’s eyes seemed to light up and the objects floating around the room suddenly dropped to the ground with various thumps, flutters, and clatters. Moira herself stumbled as her feet met the floor, then she flinched at the sound of both hers and Sigma’s mugs shattering on the tiles.

“Oh...” Sigma looked around the room, now a complete mess without everything revolving around him in neat ellipses, “My apologies--”

“We’ll clean up in here in a bit,” said Moira, “Maybe you should get some fresh air while we do that.”

“Beg pardon?” said Sigma.

“Outside,” said Moira.

“Outs-out--No--no that’s not... I shouldn’t...” Sigma glanced down.

“When was the last time you saw the sky?” asked Moira.

Sigma’s eyes flicked up to her. “I... I remember seeing the earth from the space station...” he scratched at his temple.

“I’d say you’re overdue, then,” said Moira smiling.

---

“This is fine,” Sombra was pacing back and forth on the Talon headquarters airfield, “This is fine. This is good. Great, in fact. I am super glad we’ve got Captain Gravity out here surrounded by dropships he can just chuck at us with a thought.” 

“You’re working yourself up,” said Reaper, “Just give them space.”

“Look. Look. Here’s the thing, okay? I can plan around virtually everyone’s abilities. You and O’Deorain’s weird vampire nanobot cloud thing? Sure! Hacked into those schematics years ago. This guy’s augmentations?” Sombra gestured at Doomfist, “What am I, five? I know them like the back of my hand! That guy?” she gestured over at Sigma, floating and staring upward at the sky a few dozen yards away, “I don’t know what that guy’s limitations are. Or even if there are limits. That is what’s freaking me out.”

“This is probably healthy for you, then,” said Akande with a smile, “You know there’s only so much you can control.”

“Oh ha-ha I feel so healthy,” said Sombra, folding her arms tight across herself.

“I think we’re making a good impression,” said Akande, gesturing as Sigma chuckled at something Moira said a ways away from them.

“Because Moira making the good impression isn’t worrying at all,” said Sombra, still keeping her arms folded.

---

“They’re talking about me, aren’t they?” said Sigma, still staring up at the sky.

“Well, in their defense, you’re very interesting,” said Moira.

“There’s more to it than this, isn’ there?” said Sigma, “There’s more to it than understanding my condition. There’s more to it than helping me control it.”

“Oh naturally,” said Moira, “The world we lived in would have all your friends and family believe you were dead, Siebren. It would have you drugged and strapped down to a table. That’s not a very good world, is it?”

“....No, no it isn’t,” said Sigma.

“We become scientists to change the world,” said Moira, following his line of sight up to a cloud drifting by, “Talon just... helps us do that.”

“Talon?” Sigma looked at her.

“Your new friends,” said Moira, “I think you’ll do quite well here.”

“Well...” Sigma opened his palm and allowed two hyperspheres to form, “There is much work to be done.”