#i normally don't post abstract that are too much of a spoiler

[morporkian-cryptid]

🖋🎴Daily Hanafuda pt.3 progress!

Day 17

“You should ask them,” he said, and tasted bile. “I’m sure you stand more of a chance than you imagine.” Goemon looked up at him, hope radiating from his face like a small sun, and Jigen added, before he could stop himself, “Who wouldn’t want to be with you?”

Fellas it's happening!!!!!! I can't believe I'm finally writing this scene, which I planned out nearly four years ago, back when this fic was nothing more than a late-night infodump in a friend's Discord chat. Holy shit.

[stellardeer]

Dunmeshi spoilers

I'm drunk and I feel like writing so here are my thoughts on the Laios succubus scene.

So if you have read that far you know that the succubus initially appears to him in the form of Marcille, and Laios is confused by this and thinks "oh is this really what I desire? I hope no one finds out about this, especially Marcille"

And then the succubus-Marcille transforms into a monster, and tells Laios that he, too, can become a monster, which is his true desire.

I know the explanation of why it played out this way might be obvious, but I want to expand upon it!

So why did the succubus initially present itself as Marcille? Why specifically her? Why not just present as a monster from the get go?

I think that the succubus had trouble reading his desires. I think most people agree that Laios is very ace-coded (or at least not interested in human partners...) but I think that he is unaware of this truth about himself and is aware of the heternormative expectations on the interactions between men and women.

Recall the scene where Laios is learning magic from Marcille. He seems hesitant to touch her because he worries it might be inappropriate. (I'll pause here to be perfectly honest that I can't remember if that happens before or after the succubus scene but I think it's before so I'm gonna press forward) This interaction was mildly embarrassing for Laios, and there is a very clear indication that he feels a little strange interacting with Marcille in such an intimate way.

I think that the reason the succubus presented as Marcille is because she was the most recent intimate (in his eyes) interaction that Laios had had, and he probably had some residual subconscious feelings about it, not in a "I'm secretly attracted to her" way but more of a "that was more intimacy than I am used to and it happened with someone I don't normally view in that light and I hope it doesn't mean anything" overthinking kind of way. I think that the succubus read his feelings incorrectly and, probably, is not used to having to present themselves as something more abstract. They found this small feeling of awkwardness in Laios's recent memory and assumed it to be desire, and thus transformed accordingly. I think Laios's surprise at the shape of the succubus is probably what triggered it to change its form. I think it needed a moment to assess his true feelings because he is not someone who actually has such straightforward sexual/romantic desires. It had to change its approach and become a concept rather than a being - the concept of BECOMING a monster is what Laios truly desires, not the monster itself.

I think this is also why it took the succubi longer to target Izutsumi because she, too, did not have an obvious sexual/romantic desire. It took them a while to dig deep and assess her desires until it found something that would truly stop her in her tracks.

I think that the fact that the succubus presented itself as Laios's desire to become a monster was also very obvious foreshadowing for the end of the story. I don't think this assertion needs to much expansion cause like.. duh, and also I'm drunk and don't feel like it, but I just felt like pointing it out because this story is so awesome and I love it.

This post was brought to you by someone saying "how could anyone possibly ship Laios and Marcille" and I think, honestly, it comes from moments like this where there is what appears to be an obvious suggestion that Laios has unresolved feelings for her, like it would be easy for someone to see the Marcille-succubus and their takeaway be "omg Laios feels that way about Marcille??", but I don't really think that he does. I think that the succubus just couldn't really read him properly and initially tapped into a fleeting feeling he'd had that was not true desire, just an awkward interaction that he dwelled too hard on.

I'll be honest though I did expect the connection between Marcille and Falin to be a lot more explicit just based on the way that I saw people talking about them prior to reading it for myself. I definitely agree there is a much stronger case to be made for a romance between the two of them than for ANYTHING between Laios and Marcille, but I was a bit disappointed that they weren't like.. actually canon girlfriends 😔