#real life thistle

[ratcatcher0325]

Omg! @not-a-space-alien! Look!

[haunting-hole]

Everytime I remember that one extra comic that shows that present day Thistle isn't even 16 yet I go a little crazy. Assuming he didn't just stop aging when he became dungeon lord he would've been even younger when that happened. Delgal really said damn my country is in crisis I know what will fix it: time to give the nuclear launch codes to the most autistic middle schooler I know

[roomba-mangga]

top image is the version i read first and while it did wring my heart like a wet rag the translation in my physical copy went the extra mile and beat me to death with a club in an alleyway

(bonus tears: the fact that they're parallel to thistle and delgal and this is what thistle might have said to him if they got to talk)

[burning-thistles-bt]

Your Speckletail analysis is so right and now i feel so bad for her cause like! At least Willow's abuser is dead and Spotted's abuser got exiled but Smallear is still here!!! He's in the elders den being taken care off by Thunderclan!!!! She still has to deal with him being around!!!! I feel so bad for her! Fuck Smallear!

that's the thing!!! people are shitty and there are abusers all around us but you NEVER KNOW

or you DO know but nobody's doing anything about it because "well they're not hurting anyone now" or "well it wasnt that bad" or "well but he's mostly good he's not that bad" or whatever excuse!

its crazy. i would argue a lot of older generation ThunderClan cats were in a lot of relationships similar too. Oakstar with Sweetbriar, Pinestar with Leopardfoot, Stormtail with Moonflower a little bit and also with Dappletail more a bit, you could make a case for White-eye and Sparrowpelt/Halftail, and then obviously Smallear with Speckletail by a lot, and many more i cant think of rn

im sure the same can be said of in the other clans too. and very very often it is toms being way older than the she-cats. the only immediate opposite case i can think of is with Snowbird and Scorchfur and even then we dont actually know their age gap it was just that Scorchpaw was still an apprentice when Snowbird had their kits

like i swtg the toms are ALWAYS older than the she-cats... like hello

[featherymainffins]

My only criticism of Dunmeshi is that this pyramid of desires makes no sense at all

[flawlessflesh]

MODERN/BAND AU THISTLE!!!

the tyrant frontman for an experimental noise band called ∞. music is thistle's only outlet in a life where it feels like everything else is falling out of his control.

more under the cut-- including retrospring asks where i fleshed out what various characters are doing in this au, ranging from delgal to yaad to falin...

i've been drawing this au since february and it's become very involved LOL...i refer to it interchangeably as infinity, modern, or band au.

Q&A:

∞ The Melini family, how Thistle joined them, and the current state of their relationship with each other.

∞ Thistle's living situation and the legal drinking age

∞ NEW How old is everyone in this AU?

∞ NEW Is Thistle's band popular?

∞ What real life bands sound most like Thistle's band?

∞ Which singers are vocally similar to Thistle and Yaad?

∞ What modern clothes does Thistle like wearing?

∞ What is Falin doing in this au?

∞ What are Delgal and Eodio's wives doing?

∞ NEW How did Freinag die?

∞ (cw: grooming) Thistle and the Winged Lion's relationship

∞ Falin's opinion of the Winged Lion

∞ NEW (cw: disordered eating) What does Thistle usually eat?

[edoro]

Big dunmeshi finale spoilers but like

The handful of "Thistle lives post-canon" fics I've seen have him and Yaad avoiding each other, which is understandable, but like... give it to me. I want to see it. Making them interact is so much juicier.

It's the fact that Yaad is more of a real member of the family than Thistle (visually depicted in how Yaad took Thistle's place at the family dinner table) but Thistle knows the Melinis better. Thistle knew Delgal as a boy and as a man with his whole life ahead of him, not as the helpless revenant of himself wracked with regret that Yaad grew up with. Thistle knew Freinag, the great-grandfather whose death planted the seed of fear in Delgal that led Thistle to the lion, who Yaad would have only ever heard stories about. Not only did Thistle know Eodio, the father who 'died' when Yaad was too young to remember him, but Thistle is the only reason Eodio lived long enough to father Yaad in the first place AND the reason Yaad never got to know him.

It's the way that Thistle was brother, best friend, caretaker, confidante, protector, advisor to Delgal and a force of nature to Yaad. How Thistle's reality was shaped and dictated by Freinag and Delgal's needs and Thistle in turn shaped and controlled Yaad's reality.

It's the fact that they have been in each other's lives for one! thousand!! years!!! but they don't actually know each other at all. Yaad has never met the boy his grandfather grew up with. Thistle has been so out of touch with reality for so long that he has never really understood Yaad or Yaad's relationship to him or to anyone else.

Post-canon, assuming a recovery from the initial catatonia of having been consumed, will be the first time Thistle has been fully lucid ever in Yaad's entire life. It will be the first time he and Yaad can actually have a conversation with each other. It will in a certain sense be the first time they've actually met.

One thousand years. And this will be the very first time that Thistle can engage with reality enough to actually see and hear and understand and respond to Yaad, and the first time that Yaad can approach him in any manner other than that of a man praying for a storm to pass him by. How can you not be compelled by that?

Imagine Thistle, aware enough to know he's being taken care of, aware enough to know that Delgal is dead and it's Yaad wearing his face - and how could he not, when he knew Delgal from birth - asking why Yaad is going to all the trouble after what he did, and Yaad telling him, "I want the chance to get to know you."

[dunmeshistash]

Personally I agree with you that Mithrun knew his friends were all illusions, and tbh, I think he was very okay with it

About Mithrun vs Marcille on the demon's copies of real-life people: Mithrun's desires were all related to image and self-worth, never the actual people in his dungeon. He didn't necessarily want the real thing - arguably he doesn't even like Sultha since he thought of the real one as "sketchy" - he just wanted the image of her, he wanted the image of being better than his brother, he wanted the image of having friends, etc. I believe that's why he was so okay with the demon making fake copies of his friends. It contrasts Marcille being so against the lion's attempt to make a copy of her dad. She wanted her actual father, so she strongly rejected the copy. But Mithrun didn't necessarily want Sultha, he wanted the image of her and the pride that came with her choosing him over his brother, so he likely didn't care that the demon was just making illusions. I agree with you that he was aware, at least on a subconscious level, that he was just playing pretend.

There's also that quote where it said his desire was to be safe from anyone who could harm him. It's possible that he was a bit afraid/paranoid of the real-life counterparts, and thought the illusion people couldn't possibly hurt him, so he felt safer around the fake people and ended up preferring them. This way he could have his friends and his girlfriend without the constant fear of getting hurt. He could feel wanted and important and loved without being on edge about what they secretly thought of him, or if they secretly wanted to hurt him. That's exactly what he wanted - the illusions fulfilled his desires better than the real counterparts ever could.

I don't really think it's a matter of image, there was nobody there to put on a show for, the show of having friends was before her became a dungeon lord, to me it's more that If you really believe nobody could ever love the real you, fake friends created by the demon is ok

Marcille had a father that truly loved her and friends that she wanted to protect, so it makes sense she was averse to the version made up by the demon at first, from the hints we get Mithrun had nobody he had a real connection with (here exemplified by what he thought of his teamates and the impression Milsiril had of him contrasted with the dungeon)

I don't really understand if other than Sultha the others are real canaries that ended up being driven away just like people were driven away from Thistle, I don't really put it past them to fall for the demon with the promise of a safer life where they don't have to risk their lives only to realize the downwards spiral is inescapable for the dungeon lord.

I don't think it's as important if he "really liked" Sultha or not, I think it's more related to insecurity and fear of rejection, having his brother chosen over him even tho "he's better" (the "perfect youth" image)

Mithrun was thrown away for being a bastard so being faced with the life he could have had probably broke him, I think there's some pride involved too in a twisted way but I read more like something related to "the life I wish I had", envy/jealousy like Milsiril describes. Being able to love and be loved back was never an option especially after joining the canaries

The illusion of this wasn't perfect as we can see, and with the paranoia and everything I doubt he ever really "preferred" the fakes to real life but rather it was all he had?

Idk I'm not good with words hope this made some sense, but even Marcille who said the recreation of her dad was "unnecessary" (quite the underreaction) still kept him around until the others defeated him so I don't really know what it says about Mithrun, maybe if he wasn't imprisoned into the book he could have manipulated Thistle into accepting a fake Delgal too?

[dragon-subway]

you said heist crew first and thus, humbly holding these guys up. in order theres Marcus, Bon, Thistle and Makk - theres also a kx droid who i havent drawn yet (K-1o3). will say they're not just a heist crew n honestly take most jobs that their skillgroup can work for but heists tend to be the most common.

(edit: realised this is probably super long for mobile users so putting it under a read more)

Marcus would be the unoffical leader as the one who brought them all together and the main negotiator and handler for what jobs theyre taking. He's fairly relaxed, sometimes to a fault, but ultimately very reliable.

Bon is.... a major jerk. All of the time. Easily the least agreeable of the group. He's in charge of getting all information that could be useful for a job - schematics, gaurd scheduels, you name it. Also the best at stealth and the largest of the group. Can have and will pick the slowest of whoever is there when they have to bolt but only because he doesnt want them to sell him out should they get captured or so he says.

Thistle is the mechanic, splicer and driver. Also the one who has the most legitimate job. She's very much a be kind but take no shit kind of lady, forever fascinated by a challenge in her feild. very competitive. Despite not being in the feild she's the hardest hitter after K-1o3 and keeps a close gaurd of the ship, dealing with problems herself.

Makk..... exists. He's got a lot of weird but useful information and skills he usually gives a non-answer to explain. Able to squeeze through vents and smaller crevises than the rest of the group. Very affectionate to Bon's dismay, who is also makk's favourite target of teasing until he gets thown off of him

K-1o3 is their droid, a reprogrammed and fixed up by thistle after being thrown out as a broken gaurd. often used as their cover story to break into places and the main fighter of the crew. his ultimate loyalty is to thistle and generally sticks to her side like her personal bodyguard despite the fact she can absolutely take care of herself.

They all originate from Coruscant and thats where their homes and main base (thistle's workshop) are. sorta kinda knew eachother around town, especially in the underground scene. marcus would ask them all for odd things n they were all curious as to what he was using them for so he proposed they all work on one job together since they'd all have the skills needed n that sort of thing steadily increased until they got comfortable around eachother enough to call em friends

Timeline wise, theyre mostly acitive in the late-ish clone wars through the reign of the empire. honstly the switch from the republic didnt really change much for them motivations wise.

As for connections, Bon has semi regular contact with Essie and Fen (the main jedi ocs) to trade things for important information. Also how Essie found out about that fighting ring in the first place though honestly the whole group (minus K-1o3 since he's post o66) have met with at least someone from the 792nd and 793rd. They also end up interacting with the bad batch quite often, especially in the working-for-sid era since they'd be out on a lot more odd jobs - their relationship being best described like this:

btw guys. guys. can you tell me about your star wars ocs? guys.

[quinnred]

Tilshek: God of the Ugly Rage, WindRammer, He-Who-Drums-The-Summit.

Tilshek is the embodiment of warm storms, tantrum, frenzy, spasm, drunken fury, and unjust punishment. He is represented by the Urchin and Cactus in the South and by the Porcupine and Thistle in the North. Berserking warriors may don quills to evoke Tilshek in their rages, while others may wear a flower of a thistle or cactus to evoke his merciful servant, Mahtaa.

Tilshek was born from the abuse of two Feather Gods within the halls of The Sun. He emerged stillborn, fused with the bestial Jak that all Feathers Gods are pregnant with, and was denied feathers by his reckless parents. The babe was tossed from the sky and quickly forgotten upon the land. No god dare claim parentage as even they know shame.

Abandoned and with no guidance, the naked and pained god became a wild storm of knuckle and claw, scarring the land and terrorising all that lived on it. Only one, a young Manava named Mahtaa, would recognize this mindless wreaking as the divine bawl of a newborn god and calm it with soft word and tenderness and succour. The beaked giant would ever seethe, but placation allowed Mahtaa to guide Tilshek to the home of the Shell Gods, The Mesa.

The Shell Gods were impressed with the mad orphan’s strength and the wisdom of his guardian, asking what drove the new god to such a rage. He cawed to them that he was born of poor love and left naked and wronged, wishing that he could return to his home if only to pluck and maul his kin until The Sun hung red. The chief of the Shell Gods, mighty Zridtara, was greatly amused and sympathetic to Tilshek’s rage against their rival pantheon, welcoming him into his Mesa home as an honorary Shell God. Being too rowdy to live within it’s halls, Tilshek was appeased by sitting atop The Mesa, tended to by often smashed Godler servants and the soothing Mahtaa as he stared at the ever enraging Sun.

While the Godlers would serve their master divine boozes and sacrifices (and suffer pummeling due to minor grievances), Mahtaa’s role was to herd the ram skulled god away from fool furies. He became most needed whenever Tilshek was sent on an “errand” by his new kin, a distraction so the Shell and Feather god pantheons could visit and negotiate without conflict. As Tilshek would rampage across the mortal lands, Mahtaa would outwit his master and aim his rages away from innocent mortals, earning him the title “Storm-Guide”.

One day the tantrummer had been told of a piece of the moon that held Jak yolk, as it was the egg that The Mountain and The Sky conceived the Jaks from, and that it may yield him god feather. Mahtaa did not take this seriously, seeing it as yet another teasing of his master, yet Tilshek was ecstatic that his solar massacre dreams may yet be fulfilled. As they travelled Mahtaa would ponder that, if the moon yolk was real, should his idiot charge receive such a boon, even if it was his birthright as Feather God and as a Half-Jak? Surely he would not only kill his sun kin but also be slain himself in such a mad fervour?

And so Mahtaa would deny Tilshek his prize upon it’s discovery, allowing it to be taken and hidden by Godlers of the Feather Gods. In confusion, the normally unhesitating Tilshek paused for once in his life before striking down an offender. In those moments Mahtaa stood strong and loving, even as his god sprouted a pair of arms to strangle him with. But rather than suffocate, his head bloomed into a kind flower, his godhood blossoming into a champion of mercy due to his many good deeds. From then on Tilshek would ever carry the flower faced god as punishment for his betrayal, and in part as a comfort, like a child may clutch their blanket.

This arrangement would only end upon the coming of the Deiomachy, when peace between gods eroded and fate grew hungry for war. Tilshek silently granted his one and only mercy, releasing his beloved and loyal prisoner so as to spare him from the doom-drum of divine combat.

The Mesa would be capped by a false peak as Tilshek flung himself with a rising storm towards his twin-by-fate: Shrileket the Sun-Dropper. Their clash would announce war between the Feather and Shell, booming as only gods could for days until they fell upon each other’s impalements.

[pollyanna-nana]

I think it’s so interesting that Kui decided to show us how differences in lifespan affect tallmen and elf relationships from both angles with Kabru and Thistle and also how that reflects real-life abusive situations. And then goes on to deconstruct that by showing how genuine understanding and respect CAN exist between the races with other characters!

Kabru being raised by an elf (who is shown to only have a superficial respect for short-lived races, the same one might have for a pet in a lot of ways) and treated like a child even though he’s in his 20s. After all, a 20 year old elf would be a kindergartener, and Milsiril seems to have a rather toxic combination of overprotectiveness and dehumanizing tendencies that leads to perpetually seeing the children she raises as children, even well into adulthood for their race.

And yet, we see with characters like Otta that this doesn’t have to be true of EVERY elf (nor should it logically be, especially those who spend actual time around short-lived races.) For all the jokes made at her expense I actually think it’s really interesting that she’s also canonically queer since recognizing the agency and maturity of short-lived races is in itself a type of queerness in elf society from what we’ve seen. Senshi too, as funny as his misconstruing Chilchuck as a child is I think it’s really important that he realizes his mistake and rethinks his assumptions on short-lived races following his example. It doesn’t HAVE to be the way it is, but it will take work on each side to improve things.

Then on Thistle’s end… woof. Complete opposite of Kabru, it was difficult for the tallmen of the golden kingdom to comprehend how someone in their, like, 60s could still behave like a teenager and chalked that up to a personal and moral failing rather than literal differences in biology (kind of an autistic mood but that’s a conversation for later.) It’s just as disturbing as Milsiril’s treatment of the children she adopts really, since they explicitly didn’t want an adult that could exert their own agency and control over their situation. And the thing is it’s not like that’s totally uncalled for, the previous points show how a non-insignificant number of members of long-lived races do genuinely see short-lived races as inferior, or are otherwise ignorant, like with below.

It ended up working out just how they wanted, because Thistle’s child-like innocence and singleminded desire to make the only family he had happy meant he was never going to do anything he didn’t think would help them… which then backfired, because of course it would. It’s overcontrolling and manipulative parenting, but with the added spice of lifespan differences and magic. Kabru ended up detesting the elves that raised him and wanting nothing to do with them, and Thistle basically had a massive breakdown trying too hard to please everyone. Infantilization vs adultification, as some have said, with predictable results.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

An American Pika Sizing Up Some Yummy Thistle

The Real-Life Pikachu: Pictures Of The American Pika

Photographer: Deirdre Denali

[roomba-mangga]

going back and forth on the notion of writing this thing as if it were actually aimed at a younger audience versus writing for an older audience who might resonate with experiences of liminality... so far leaning towards the latter... which means i can probably lean further into the heavier elements if i wanted to... much to consider

[mage-of-mip]

Half-Foots and Ainu Culture in Dungeon Meshi

It sometimes feels like I might be grasping at straws with this, but I do feel like it's not completely unfounded. Please note, I am a white woman living in the USA, I am by no means an expert on Japanese culture in general, much less a marginalized subculture. I have simply made limited attempts to educate myself out of genuine interest born from exposure to media about Ainu characters and culture. I am always hoping to learn more.

I think it's fairly obvious that many parallels can be drawn between Ryoko Kui's Half-Foot race, and more than one ethnicity or subculture in real life. Romani, Irish, and Jewish stereotypes come to mind immediately.

But I think there's another one that may be explored less in the text, and much harder to catch by a western reader, but nonetheless could be intended by Kui, or perhaps was at one point. That of the Ainu people of Hokkaido, Japan.

There's not a lot of translated information about the Ainu online, so please bear with my limited knowledge. In short, the Ainu are the indigenous people of Northern Japan. For generations, their way of life has been taken from them and they were forced to assimilate to the wider Japanese culture. There are not many who still fully practice the cultural heritage in this day, but there are movements to bring the Ainu culture back.

In Delicious in Dungeon, there are two instances that reference the Ainu, both relating to Chilchuck. This could, of course, be a coincidence, especially if there are more references that I missed. It may be flimsy, but it still feels significant that this is the case, and that Half-Foots are or were meant to be an allusion to the Ainu.

This is the first instance. A significant panel in the context of the story. To my knowledge, this is the only specifically Ainu dish that's referenced in the text. On it's own, its just an interesting factoid, and the same dark humor that's being used for all the other character deaths in this fight against Thistle.

This is the second instance. From the supplemental material rather than the main story, Chilchuck is discussing what Half-Foots are called across the languages. The one that caught my eye here is the one in the top corner. Korpokkur.

The Korpokkur are a race of small people in Ainu folklore, their name meaning "those who live under the butterbur leaves".

Again, in a vacuum, this could just be a Japanese person using a Japanese word [Edit: Correction; An Ainu word] in her manga. But I think it's interesting that the two instances of Ainu culture being referenced have to do with Chilchuck and Half-Foots as a whole. It could warrant a deeper read-through looking for other references, perhaps by someone more educated than myself.

I think this could have some interesting implications in the wider worldbuilding. Perhaps the Half-Foots have faced similar cultural erasure and assimilation attempts, which is why a lot of their customs and clothing are just "Tallman but smaller", and why other races regularly mistake them for the children of tallmen, despite having pretty noticeable differences in how they look other than just their height(their disproportionately large ears, for example).

This idea might be a tad more indulgent, but I also like the idea that Half-Foot children don't receive a permanent name until they are toddlers. At one point, in Ainu culture(this may not be practiced today, I could not find information on that), the Ainu would give their children "vulgar" placeholder names until they started forming personalities, as a ward against evil spirits. Perhaps the same is done for Half-Foot children, and their two part names are selected when they are a little older.

Again, these are just the observations of an outsider looking in, please feel free to correct any mistakes I may have made! And if I'm completely off-base or have said something offensive, I apologize and will delete or amend the post as necessary.

[kookiyu]

I love being pandered to but this difference between the manga and anime is why I sort of regard the anime as just being supplemental fanservice/a commercial for the manga rather than an adequate alternative for enjoying dungeon meshi.

There's this sense of awe and stunned surprise to Marcille's expression in the manga, like it doesn't feel real what's happening... and that is how she reacts! She pulls away from Falin because it takes her a moment to process what she's doing and the intensity of the moment gives her such a fright she can only recoil in shock. But anime Marcille is so expectant and hopeful in a like. "I can't believe this is finally happening" way that it kind of misses the point...

In the context of the series this moment is fundamentally tragic. The erotics of it are tied into the dread and anxiety surrounding it... Marcille has done something really dark and scary out of her love for Falin, and there's this mildly overbearing sense of unease hanging over everything even in reprieve. When Falin looms over her and half-shadows her face, it's a really strong visual metaphor and piece of foreshadowing for her role in the story. Falin is this larger than life figure and person of worship for Marcille, she thrives in memories and stories, and when we finally see her interact with the cast tangibly and in the present she's shown to also be physically and emotionally overwhelming to be around. The lengths Marcille has already gone to to save her are pretty extreme, but it's only a fraction of what she'll inevitably resort to.

Smarter people than me have pointed it out, but love is a value-neutral emotion in Dungeon Meshi. There's no inherent goodness to love; it's the reason Thistle created the dungeon, it's the reason the demon grants wishes for humanity. This isn't the only instance of sexuality in Dungeon Meshi, but it's probably the most overt example of it barring the succubi chapter (which is largely played for laughs but is also a great chapter for characterization, because Ryoko Kui loves character writing so much.) The eroticism is employed really deliberately here in contrast to everything that comes before or after because Kui wants us to feel, along with Marcille, just how intensely Falin makes her feel. The totally unbarred physical intimacy and vulnerability is extremely potent! It's unlike any other relationship in the entire series! And it's just another seed Falin plants in Marcille that compels an intense response from her. The manga is (by nature of the medium) extremely intentional in its visuals, and that's why this scene hits so hard... But the anime forgoes a lot of that added visual meaning in exchange for a softer, warmer moment that doesn't carry nearly the same weight or nuance.

Another episode that should have hit like a truck but just sort of fell flat when it mattered

[arse-crack-thistle]

rip to the real ones 🙏

june claremont-diaz

rafael luna

agent cash

stepdaddy leo

liam (shoutout to bf spencer too)

onscreen catherine

waspy hunter (eh)

queen mary

cornettos (and glasses)

silk kimonos

star wars references

wimbledon

powerpoints

official courtship photos

henry’s j-14 spread

“you are the thistle in the tender and sensitive arse crack of my life” (obvs)

“cornbread knows what i have done, and he is here to make me atone”

bigger bisexual spirals

longer grief talks

more emails (feat. queer couples in history)

“fucking eyelashes”

“your song” by elton john

“dear thisbe, i wish there weren’t a wall. love, pryamus”

“i want you—” “then fucking have me.”

“two homes side by side”

“AN INCOMPLETE LIST: THINGS I LOVE ABOUT HRH PRINCE HENRY OF WALES”

“sería una mentira, porque no sería él”

“history, huh?” t-shirts

“i love him on purpose”

“the truth is, also, simply this: love is indomitable”

and anything else i (they) missed…