#THE ABSURDITY LMAO

[grimalkinmessor]

Okay okay okay. So. I have yoinked the translations. And here are my thoughts on chapter 407.

All For One was not born evil, he was literally just born as a baby. Do you condemn people that ate their twin in the womb for killing their would-be sibling and say that they're born evil? NO.

I very much think—especially with the rats and the river thing even though I also think that's some mythology bullshit Remus and Romulus style—that All For One and Yoichi likely weren't taken in by humans for a WHILE. LOOK AT BABY FOR ONE. NO ONE IS PICKING THAT FUCKING THING UP AND TAKING IT HOME. Do you expect children raised by wolves not to bite you? Honest to God the most surprising thing about that whole chapter was the fact that Yoichi had morals. And that either of them knew how to speak human language at all. Like,,,,Yoichi becoming a morally good person after having his twin yoink most of his nutrients in the womb, cannibalizing his mother's corpse with said twin, and then likely growing up in the fucking woods after almost being eaten by rats and drowning in a river—that's a fucking miracle!! Yoichi is the odd one here!! Where did his morals come from?? Sir where did you get those? The world sure as hell didn't give them to you because DAMN.

My point is that had Baby For One been taken in by a nice family and gotten a shit ton of fucking therapy for his apathy and feralness he might've been alright. Or—maybe not alright but definitely not the creature that we saw in this chapter good LORD. I'm now convinced that any humanity that All For One developed came solely from the need to manipulate people. Otherwise he'd still be stabbing and biting them to death in complete silence like (⁠●⁠_⁠_⁠●⁠)

ANYWAY. Their backstory very pointedly focuses only on several key, damning points in All For One's history. The sapping of nutrients from Yoichi, the eating of their mother, the stealing of her Quirk, the killing of civilians and law enforcement alike—everything that leads up to his name. All For One. And yet it doesn't answer any of the other questions! Like where he and Yoichi grew up, WHAT HIS REAL NAME IS (which. is this now confirmation that AFO named Yoichi. did i get that part right at least. did i.), how they survived beyond that initial river flood, the progression of the world beyond them. I have more questions, not less.

Plus—Yoichi was clothed. All For One was in what seemed to be rags. Yoichi did not seem to be starving or severely ill. Which means that All For One likely was taking care of his basic needs as the "stronger" sibling. Because Yoichi was one of his "things", and of course he wouldn't want his things to be overly sickly and thin and dirty. If I'm not mistaken I'm pretty sure Yoichi even had shoes, while All For One was wandering around barefoot like a little vagabond. Now, All For One definitely beat Yoichi up plenty, we can see plenty of evidence of that both in this chapter and past ones—as long as Yoichi isn't irreparably harmed then AFO doesn't seem to have a problem whacking him around to keep him in line. They were probably never openly affectionate or even emotionally close, but Yoichi was still the only person that All For One seems to see as...a person. And even then :')

ANYWAY, my point is that you can't criticize the chapter for having an unreliable narrator, because they've literally done that before. Multiple times throughout this series, there have been multiple backstories revealed ONLY TO BE REREVEALED FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. I'm fairly sure, since we get All For One's inner thoughts and not Yoichi's, that 407 is from AFO's perspective. Another reason to believe it's from his perspective is because there's no other way that anyone could've known that their mother was a prostitute and she died by the river giving birth to them, other than All For One having access to those memories through the vestige of his mother's Quirk. I think that's also why Yoichi's death scene was so vague—All For One likely blocked a lot of it out.

I think we'll get Yoichi's perspective at some point too (we BETTER get Yoichi's perspective), but for a chapter seen through All For One, it's a lot like Tomura's origin chapter. Of course All For One, the chunni asshole edgelord, paints himself as someone who was BORN evil. Who ignores the nuance to go NO I WAS ALWAYS EVIL I WAS MADE TO BE LIKE THIS BECAUSE I ENJOY IT IMMENSELY.

Tldr; 407 was AFO's perspective of his own origin, which includes an incredible amount of bias and lacks a lot of the basic answers that an origin story usually gives. He IS evil, but it's naive to say he was born that way.

[technically-human]

Part two of the reverse verse is here! The reverse boys meet the original boys. They're not really getting along as well as I had hoped...

Again, this was a commission for @i-am-as-normal-as-you-are and they asked for angst/funny vibes... I think it's mostly just angst though. Oh, well...

Part one

[doctorsiren]

give this angle another tri

[bearvanhelsing]

9 People To Get to Know Better

Thanks so much for tagging me @outeremissary !!!! Getting to this one a little late and idk who has been tagged already but if any of my moots see this and want to do it, pls consider it a tag to do so!

Last Song: Wicked Game by Cris Isaak

Favorite Color: Hmmm I think it’s Maroon or Burgundy! I love any deep, dark shade of red tea

Currently Watching: The X-Files and King of the Hill with my sister

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: I definitely lean more towards Spicy and Savory! In the summer it feels like I’m never hungry for anything but ice cubes and popsicles though because it’s too damn hot lmao

Relationship Status: Single!

Current Obsession: Honestly, I think it’s X-Files!! The show honestly just keeps getting better and better and I’m on season 6! Mulder and Scully are my little guys

Last Thing You Googled: “Manhattan Project budget” I wanted to compare it to the budget of GTA 6 that I just saw lmao

[upsidedownsmore]

thinking about how people in present day warframe percieve the infestation versus people in warframe 1999

like in present day the infestation has been around for who knows how long, though of course it's gotten worse of late due to the actions of dr. tengus

however, for the people of 1999 this is probably the first time anyone has ever encountered this threat, and even to us it looks even crazier than usual cause it's interfacing with all this old 90s tech. like there's the existential horror of a space zombie virus that has been festering around for centuries, but then there's the true horror of having your entire society uppended by techrot out of nowhere. techrot with a boyband as its face of all things. and of course the fear of getting caught in the scaldra's crossfire

i hope we get to meet some regular citizens in 1999 just to further explore their reactions to all of this, really drive home this new perspective on the infestation we've otherwise become very accustomed to

[evan-buck]

"if you tried to fuck me i'd kill you" "good" stewy hosseini you are a lost cause :(

[shrimpler]

i’ve never so violently wanted the entire world to Look At This Thing as i do with the silt verses

it’s truly one of my favorite fictional works like. ever. and i’m constantly fighting the urge to grab everyone i see by the shoulders and start shaking them while aggressively begging them to listen to it because what else do i do with myself after experiencing something like this

[suntails]

⚔️⚡️

[lizzybeeee]

DATV Spoilers - The Handling of Previous Story/Lore In DATV

Quick PSA: If you’ve read my post on the lore/story threads dropped – it’s not a list of what I expected or even wanted to see addressed/answered in DATV.

It’s pretty much a given that Kieran and the Architect were never going to come back in any meaningful way, I understand that. Questions about what happened to Anora, Anders, Cullen’s clinic etc...never expected to get an answer about them – at all. The line of succession in Ferelden and Orlais? I expected that sometime down the line it would have to be streamlined into one option for both nations, not a problem – there’s so many choices it’s impossible to account for, and I understand that.

A codex entry or letter would have been nice – but my expectations for DATV was solely for a good story that added to the lore and world of Thedas. Instead, it felt entirely reductive – glaringly so when you account for the ‘Executives’ twist. The slavery in Tevinter is non-existent, the Crows being an organization that indoctrinated children is never touched upon, any mystery of ancient Tevinter and the elves is answered (badly!), the Dalish have effectively disappeared and become the Veil Jumpers...it all feels so hollow, so shallow, that I ever cared about these things in the first place.

There’s no DLC planned – the team is working on Mass Effect 5 now. There’s no conclusion to the fate of the south of Thedas outside of two codex entries and some dialogue. They can patch the Executors cutscene out, maybe - perhaps they could even do the same to anything relating to the south of Thedas. Yes, these areas were not completely destroyed by the Blight – they can rebuild – but it comes across as being so meaningless that I ever cared for these places in the first place. To learn that after ten years of waiting all we cared for get devastated and left in limbo...it’s hard to put into words the bitterness I felt at that realization, and seeing that final cut-scene drove the nail into the coffin of how foolish I felt for even caring in the first place.

The issue is that the dev’s gave us only three choices, told us that as the story was contained to the north of Thedas – that our other choices weren’t relevant to the rest of the game – that their intent was to not effect anyone's head-canons...before doing so with ‘the blight has devastated most of everywhere you went previously’.

These were story/plot threads that were woven throughout the narrative of the first three games – the things that made me care and become invested in the world of Thedas to begin with. In a game that was set-up to be a direct sequel to Inquisition and Trespasser I hoped that, at least, what was brought up in Inquisition would be mentioned.

Perhaps my list is a little too detailed with plot threads and issues – if anything that can be attributed to the incredible world-building done in the first three games! I love those games, I love the world of Thedas...which is why this game utterly baffles me with its choices.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a good game but not a good Dragon Age game.

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

Edit: DATV absolutely has a lot of problems outside of its handling of the lore and story of the previous games. I would not say its a good rpg in any sense, but as a weird 'action-adventure rpg lite' game I did have some fun moments and enjoy myself. Would I recommend it to anyone? Absolutely not.

I heard someone describe it as a 'junk food' game and I very much agree with that statement. I found enjoyment in it, but to do so I usually had to turn off my brain, which is not a compliment towards DATV.

The game released very well optimized (especially considering how most companies are content to release half-baked games and patch them later) and did create some really interesting visual set-pieces like the Battle of Weisshaupt. But those moments I enjoyed were few and far between, and far overwhelmed by the negatives of the game - such as story, lack of conversation/conflict/role-play options, bad character writing etc...

Calling the game 'good' is, perhaps, a stretch, and I totally get that. Calling it 'mediocre with some good parts' may be more accurate.

[basilone]

[lady-tortilla-chip]

I think it’s crazy actually that people think it’s impossible for Chuuya to trick Fyodor without Fyodor having to be dumber for it. Especially when a popular theory was that after the drowning Chuuya had begun faking it, why is it so hard to believe he’d just been faking it the entire time?

This doesn’t even touch on how it’s been SUCH a LOUD point throughout mersault that Fyodor has hugely underestimated Soukoku. So, by obvious extension that would include Chuuya too if not more so than Dazai seeing as he insinuated multiple times that Chuuya was Dazai’s tool rather than equal partner.

[vyeoh]

My hot take for today is that anyone who thinks be more chill is cringe hates fun and also missed the entire lesson of the musical

[saltpepperbeard]

Rhys + Absolutely taking me OUT with the latest part of his RDR2 Playthrough

BONUS:

[goodsniff-m8]

[dainesanddaffodils]

Listen. Listen to me. I need Aymeric to have a one-sided beef with Vrtra so bad

Like, and not even in a shippy way wrt to Estinien but more in like-

He was Estinien’s first and for a long time only friend and yeah sure Estinien is, like, with the scions now but it’s kinda clear when you talk to Aymeric about that that he doesn’t really expect that to, y’know, last

But the idea that post-scion-“disbandment” this other country’s leader - who is also a fucking dragon - offered Estinien a job first and got Estinien to stick around is just… Aymeric wants to be glad that his friend has actually made other friends but is quietly seething about it

And like he’s gotta be professional about it because politics and also it would probably be really bad optics for Ishgard if he’s noticeably beefing with another dragon so he’s gotta at least appear outwardly chill. And it doesn’t help that Vrtra is genuinely just the nicest guy, who probably in post-Endwalker wants to form a stronger connection with Ishgard. Again, because of the whole Nidhogg/Dragonsong War thing. And Aymeric has to be So Fucking Normal about it because he really can’t fuck this up for petty ‘you stole my bestie’ reasons.

And like, Dawntrail only makes this worse because by the time Aymeric learns that Estinien even went to Tural, it’s at the same time he learns that Vrtra is also in Tural - because Vrtra was the one Estinien the scions turned to when in trouble. And logically of course Vrtra would be able to cross the salt far faster than Aymeric ever could. But that doesn’t stop him from haaaating it.

And yeah it’s messy and affectionately I want Aymeric put in Situations so I’ve done it here lol

(Also there’s some additional wolship/wolstinien stuff for my canon under the cut)

All of this actually occurred to me because I realized that, in Cimorene’s canon timeline, Vrtra being in Tural - and probably hanging out in Tural for a little bit post Alexandria and Sphene stuff - means that Estinien and Cimorene would get to tell him about how they’re expecting a child LONG LONG LOOOOONG before Aymeric ever hears about it. And if that wouldn’t get poor Aymeric fucking steamed I don’t know what would lmao

I’m so sorry bestie I didn’t mean to do this but it just worked out this way and it’s actually very very funny.

[athina-blaine]

kb/ms is truly transcendental yaoi, spectacular, amazing, 10/10, no notes ... from the perspective of a mithrun enjoyer

as a kabru enjoyer, however...

I'll start off by saying that of course Kabru doesn't want or need a romantic relationship to be fulfilled, especially not with a white man, none of them do, it's all non-canon, Dungeon Meshi isn't about romance or shipping, yes yes yes, but none of us are here for that right now!! We're here to fruitlessly argue why my blorbos kissing makes more sense than your blorbos kissing!! You know it, I know it, none of us are free of cringe!! Clown on clown violence!!

That being said ... 🤡

I just don't see what Kabru gets out of kb/ms. With Mithrun, it makes sense; Kabru has a huge impact on him and ultimately helps him reaffirm his will to live. That's very exquisite drama and excellent character writing. But with Kabru, I just don't feel that Mithrun's character interacts with his personal flaws and would instigate his growth anywhere close to the same degree. I have to imagine most fics involving them focus more on Mithrun's baggage and how Kabru helps him heal from that ... because that's mostly all that happens between them in the main story, lol!

And like, that makes sense, because ultimately chapters 61-62 aren't about Kabru and Mithrun; they're about Kabru working through his conflicted feelings in helping Laios conquer the dungeon. I think it's ironic seeing people complain about kb/ms having Kabru be Mithrun's accessory when, if anything, Mithrun's main narrative purpose, outside of illustrating the danger of the Winged Lion, is to serve as Kabru's obstacle. I'd even argue Mithrun represents Kabru's personal bad ending; Mithrun wants him to kill Laios and surrender the dungeon to the canaries, preventing the short-lived races from ever understanding how dungeons function and returning to the status quo that had gotten Utaya destroyed. It's only when Laios practically forces Kabru, straight up puts his thumbs to the screws, to work past his reticence and be emotionally vulnerable that Kabru finally puts himself on the right path to achieve his goals (it's, uh, still a bit of a bumpy ride, but they get there in the end, lol!). If he'd been this way with Laios from the beginning, he might have understood Laios' intentions from the start and saved himself a lot of pain, but it's only because of Laios' influence that Kabru is able to grow as a character and get his happy ending.

(And even if one were a Mithrun enjoyer, ultimately the main source of Mithrun's life affirmation comes from the canaries. In that final scene, Kabru gets the ball rolling because he's outside of the canary hierarchy, but the scene ends with Mithrun being embraced by the canaries and as far as I'm aware the two don't interact with or reference each other post canon at all. Hell, it's Senshi who really drives the point home. Not that it matters when we're all wearing shipping goggles here, but it felt remiss not to mention it.)

At most, I can see how taking care of Mithrun would force Kabru to reexamine how poorly he takes care of his own body and that could make for some good drama. But even then, that change is ultimately instigated by Laios' influence on him, an extension of how Kabru wants to understand how Laios can see the value in monsters in an attempt to better understand his own trauma. If a person were to get into Dungeon Meshi specifically for Kabru and wanted to ship him with someone in a way that's most interesting for him, I'd be hard-pressed to argue there's a better choice than Laios (although who'd be cringe enough to do something like that haha right guys ... [sweating])

(Side note, though, I really don't vibe with the argument that kb/ms "reduces Kabru to a caretaker role" and that's why it's bad. There's plenty of instances where Kabru shoulders his friends' burdens (helps Kuro learn common tongue, listens to Daya's fiance about his relationship troubles, etc) and, more importantly, is seemingly happy to do so. I think Kabru genuinely enjoys looking after his friends and in the story seems to find plenty of personal satisfaction getting Mithrun to eat. I understand it has the potential to be more troubling considering Kabru is a brown man and Mithrun is a white man, but idk, it just feels on the same level as people trying to discount labru by saying Laios wouldn't take enough of an interest in people to want to start a romantic relationship, when his whole thing is that he does want to connect with people and just feels like he can't. It's not a bone I feel like picking, haha)

I honesty don't mind characters being "mischaracterized" in fandom or fic even to a large degree, I know it bugs a lot of people but I respect that ultimately fandom is little more than picking up the vague outline of a doll and playing with it and mashing their faces together. Besides, if I'm really worked up about it I can just write a fic and set the record straight myself, haha. This post is merely inspired by the supremely annoying subsection of twitter that acts like labru is the ship where it's just two dudes sitting in a room together. I'm just saying, Kabru ends the series whispering into the ear of another man as his day job and it's not Mithrun lmao