cathlinlaks - Tumblr blog

[cathlinlaks]

ok lets settle it. which laios is getting the best dick rn

[cathlinlaks]

Being a malipulative bastard and a people pleaser is possible

[cathlinlaks]

this drawing pisses me off so much bc i spent 40 hours on it and NOBODY ANYWHERE SAW IT AND GAVE A FUCK.

[cathlinlaks]

speaks volumes to kabru's character that he figured out who everyone was while under the fish-man illusion via body language, but tried to kill a sea serpent by this

what a man, couldn't ask for a better foil to laios honestly

[cathlinlaks]

So much of Dungeon Meshi before Falin's revival is from the perspective of people who fundamentally misunderstand her as a person and this is really obvious in how they treat Laios versus how they treat Falin, despite the two of them being so similar.

Falin's weirdness and autism are cute and quirky because she's a quiet and pretty woman. Laios' weirdness and autism, despite being pretty much the exact same as Falin's, are creepy and suspicious because he's a big and (kinda) outspoken man.

I do think that Marcille (and Shuro too) genuinely loves Falin but that she's also very willfully blind to the "weird" and "bad" parts of her, the same things that make Marcille recoil when coming from Laios.

[cathlinlaks]

local ladies man’s signature move totally useless against autistic monster enthusiast. more on Kabru’s fumble era at 6

[cathlinlaks]

Masterpost

[cathlinlaks]

[cathlinlaks]

I study Demons, they don't eat your sexuality. Maybe he was bisexual from the start and the demon just ate his attraction to women.

Mithrun: I think the reason I'm attracted to men now is because the demon ate my heterosexuality

Kabru: I don't think that's how that works. I think you're just bi

[cathlinlaks]

Mithrun: I think the reason I'm attracted to men now is because the demon ate my heterosexuality

Kabru: I don't think that's how that works. I think you're just bi

[cathlinlaks]

I was so focused on the main cast, I didn’t expect to care about Kabru and Mithrun but sometimes a ship just blindsides you.

[cathlinlaks]

Another reason I like kabumisu is that there's A LOT of intimacy in how Kabru cares for Mithrun. It's not just 'here's a sleep spell/some sleeping drugs get into bed now and sleep' it's 'I'll massage your feet and get them nice and warm in preparation for rest, I'll make you comfortable and make sure the food you eat tastes nice even though I know you don't care about that, it's because I care about YOU'.

This isn't to knock the canaries either because I love them and they all love and care for Mithrun in their own unique ways (Cithis actually treats him with respect despite not seeing most people as human, Lycion is protective/a little territorial over him, Pattadohl treats him like the highest possible respect etc), but there isn't as much intimacy in them caring for Mithrun as there is between Kabru and Mithrun. The canaries and Mithrun feel more like when you have a professional carer who does what needs to be done and does it well and efficiently, while Kabru and Mithrun feel like when your spouse (or just a close family member if you're not into shipping them) is your carer like "I'll share my favourite childhood foods with you and peel you an orange gently and feed it to you, and wash and comb your hair so softly because I know you and see you for who you are," and I'm hurt in the best way over it.

It's the kind of disability representation (and romance in disability representation if you wanna take it that way) that I just think I've always wanted and craved, especially as someone who relates to Mithrun's extreme trauma reaction/depressive symptoms...

[cathlinlaks]

Mithrun's scarf is tied so cutely here, I'm imagining Kabru did it for him so it wouldn't fall off too easily while he's fighting/running around...

Plus the fact Mithrun's generally wrapped up super warmly in Falin's old coat while Kabru is just wearing his normal armour/clothes despite the cold...

Also do you think he brushed Mithrun's hair for him because he knows how important proper hair-care is for magic users? I feel like implication here is that he might have... It would make sense? It seems very Kabru... He's super aware of others so it makes sense he'd be that thoughtful in this situation.

This is all pretty cute considering Kabru didn't know how to cook before Mithrun and his room in his day-to-day life looks like this:

Otta really said "take care of captain mithrun for us" and Kabru said "I can do better than that" and took care of him better than the canaries did as his official caretakers. He even looks after Mithrun better than he looks after himself and learns new life skills from it. He didn't have to go this hard and yet...

[cathlinlaks]

Why I appreciate Kabru and Mithrun's relationship in the story (with pictures!)

I just want to express how much I loved reading through the chapter with the 6 days they spent together and how I think their relationship developed in a pretty sweet way.

I feel like a lot of people reduce their dynamic to "nurse and patient" and that makes me sad because I personally got a lot more from it than that.

I do wanna start off by saying I'm here appreciating their dynamic as it is in the text.

Read more (spoilers ofc):

The beginnings

When they first met, there was an air of intimidation surrounding Mithrun as the captain of the ominous Canaries. He demonstrates his proficiency as a fighter and leader which worried Kabru because he knew it would lead to the dungeon falling into elven hands once again. But this threatening aura begins to dim in Kabru's mind as they get to know each other.

Even before they fell down the hole, the both of them ended up relying on each other's abilities a number of times (when the underground governor turned out to be corrupted Mithrun defeated him and Mithrun needed Kabru's deduction skills during the battle on the fourth floor) which is already the beginning of a great dynamic

(Kabwu is scared but Mithrun just asks for his help)

After Cithis tasked him with "taking care of Mithrun's needs" for the time being, Kabru treated Mithrun with proper respect and doesn't take advantage of his disability, even using his title “Captain” when he knew Mithrun wouldn’t have cared either way after learning about how he lost his desires. This is in contrast to Cithis who immediately took advantage of her position to mess around with Mithrun when she was taking care of him.

(When Cithis started taking care of Mithrun)

The whole time Kabru is with Mithrun, he treats him like a person and more than just someone to be taken care of, as also he relies on Mithrun's fighting skills, knowledge of the dungeon, and teleportation magic.

When you reduce their dynamic to just "caretaker and patient", you're ignoring Mithrun's own capabilities and making him seem totally helpless. It actually feels rather ableist. They have a more balanced relationship with what Mithrun brings to the table than you may think. Mithrun couldn't have survived down there on his own, but it's the same for Kabru (who famously dies every time he fights)! With this in mind, in terms of power dynamics one could say they actually balance each other out while they're together.

Kabru doesn’t show signs of trying to manipulate Mithrun either, and he's no longer intimidated by him in the slightest once he learns he’s not a threat or after his life. Though he does instinctively revert to his "sparkly" persona to get Mithrun to eat the disgusting mushroom, it doesn’t work so Kabru just has him eat it normally and never tries it again. This is the beginning of Mithrun unintentionally encouraging Kabru to be more honest with others.

(Kabru realizing he can chill out)

(Kabru being unreserved and Mithrun being silly)

bonus funny moment:

Bonding

Throughout the journey they talked to each other, shared things with each other, and ate with each other. And Kabru expresses genuine concern about whether Mithrun is comfortable (which is something he could live without and wasn't something the Canaries told him to do).

(Kabru showing he wants to make him comfortable by making food for him which is a very important part of the narrative)

(Kabru sharing intimate memories with Mithrun)

(Kabru initiating conversation without hesitation or worry. This part also is referencing how Mithrun shared very important details of his life with Kabru. Kabru also ends up trusting Mithrun with information about Laios despite knowing he could possibly tell the other Canaries about him and impede his plans..which he does lol they do end up knowing about Laios before meeting him.)

For a bonus Lycion implies Kabru was taking better care of Mithrun than they had been which is interesting to me.

Mithrun also shows that he has come to trust Kabru's decisions over the Canaries' when he says he wants to stay in the dungeon after fulfilling the caretaker requirement. They did talk to each other a lot, during that time. I wonder what Mithrun's Shapeshifter double of Kabru would look like now?

Here, Kabru goes out of his way to make sure Mithrun doesn’t overexert himself by knocking him out after the demon leaves with Marcille (again, when his time taking care of him is already over), and I think that demonstrates an extra level of concern he holds for Mithrun.

(Kabru holding back a hellbent Mithrun)

(KNOCKOUT!)

He even managed to make Mithrun mad. It's probably because he "let the demon get away" but I think it's cute and funny because would he huff like that at anyone else? Lol

When the demon breaks through the surface

Kabru begins panicking after Laios turns into the giant monster because he's wondering if he made the right decisions etc. If Mithrun didn’t care about Kabru at least a little bit, he would’ve just left him alone when he started losing it (right after Marcille did the same thing and she is technically more to blame for empowering the demon than Kabru was for not allowing Mithrun to go after it), but he went out of his way to snap him out of it.

It also means a lot to me that Mithrun even says Kabru's name, because in Japanese you can go your entire life without referring to someone by name and it wouldn't sound wrong (just rude) and it's the first time Mithrun says Kabru's name on screen (I checked).

Though it was with a slap, I think it says a lot, because if Mithrun didn’t care at all he wouldn’t have done anything and left him alone. It's not like Kabru could've done anything to stop the demon. He didn't even to tell him to do anything even though Kabru looked ready for an order.

(To be honest I don't know exactly why Mithrun starts beating him up here but you can say it's another rare demonstration of emotion Kabru was able to evoke in him lol. Maybe it's payment for Kabru stopping him the first time. That can be interpreted as paying it back and/or paying it forward I think.)

The last few chapters

And in the end when Kabru’s motivating Mithrun to continue living his life, he speaks to him like they’re friends/have no rank between them despite using the Captain title for him the whole time. Even Lycion initially gets upset that he’s acting “too familiar” with Mithrun.

It feels like Mithrun changed so much in the short time he spent together with Kabru and before the final battle, and it’s thanks to Kabru that Mithrun finally starts to be able to move past his lingering obsession with the demon and begin to really heal.

This is despite the fact that he spent so much time with Milsril and the other elves who never managed to break through to him like that.

(Before Kabru) (After Kabru)

And even after his role as Mithrun's caretaker was loong complete, he still shows concern for Mithrun and tells him to take a break when he's using up all his magic to slice the Falin meat (lmao).

He didn't need to do that! But it shows how he at least slightly considers Mithrun some kind of friend.

It all culminates with Kabru helping Mithrun regain his wil to live and Mithrun confiding in Kabru. Their relationship is important. Kabru continuing to do things for Mithrun to me is more of a sign that he just plain cares about him. Isn't it normal when a friend needs medication for you to remind them to take it? I think it's like that.

Kabru is there with Mithrun when he comes out about his feelings of uselessness AND when Senshi helps him put a spin on the 'vegetable scraps' metaphor and he find meaning in his life again. He's the first one to see him cry :')

Along with the fact that it feels like Mithrun is the first person we see Kabru doesn't feel the need to change his personality with or put on airs for since Mithrun doesn't need buttering up and he won't get offended if someone were to say something socially awkward, I think they made a pretty good team!

BUT ALSO the REAL reason I became endeared to them is cute shit like this:

GOD I love them!!!!! There are so many funny sides to Mithrun Kabru was able to bring out, and really show his charm as a character. The true depths of their dynamic also grew on me over time :)

TLDR

All in all it’s so nice seeing how even though Mithrun is a really deadpan person, and Kabru is a really secretive and withheld person, they clearly seem to have developed some kind of bond with while they traveled together and even changed each other to an extent.

Doesn't Kabru feel more honest near the end? Maybe it's because of how much he talked to and shared with Mithrun during those 6 days so candidly...because they taaaalked a looooot like wow.

They mean so goddamn much to me. I don’t need them to be in a romantic relationship but I do want them to be together forever :'))) or like at least hang out when they have off time since they're still in the same country lol. Praying for Kui to make another side comic of them some time (crying).

Thanks for reading if you made it this far, I mostly arranged this because it makes me sad to see people reduce their dynamic to only one singular aspect.

Anyways ya...love 'em (heart hands)

[cathlinlaks]

Kabumisu is soooo something to me. Kabru literally did not have to do All of That. Keep him alive for a week, sure. But. Gestures. Tailing after him, even. Knocking him out for his own good, which is kinda mirrored by Mithrun slapping him out of a panic attack. There's a weird sort of mutual footing to be had there. Kabru even somewhat drops his excessive use of charm around Mithrun on account of the guy not giving a fuck. They're both sole survivors of nightmarish shit. Crushing sense of responsibility. There's weird mutual attachment. Kabru was so deadset on not letting the guy give the fuck up on everything after expiring his purpose he managed to help give him a will to Keep Going with the help of the Canaries. They're like if the base definition of "partners" was gay was a qpr was some secret third thing. Understand me.

[cathlinlaks]

is this anything

[cathlinlaks]