#havent read it yet 😭

[caspervi]

Super quick doodle

[angelnet23]

falin from dungeon meshi doodle

[incorrect-riordanverse]

ten-year-old Nico about Percy and gang: I just want to be included.

Nico, after being included: what the fuck—

[imaybe5tupid]

Laios and Marcille play the Daltian Clan CRPG part 2

Marcille is 100% a terrible backseat driver with games. And she is also baring her heart and soul with her most beloved media property and most beloved character (who got her through many lonely days growing up as a half elven child with no one else like her around) and Laios is doing the equivalent of looking at his phone sometimes and only paying attention to the character he has a crush on, or acting in murderhobo ways instead of paying full attention.

Also, for the record, I personally think the person who resembles Forva most is actually Rinsha (and it’s not even close, like the exact hairstyle and clothes are the same too! she’s even brooding and quietly sensitive too) But Laios dgaf about her and it’s just like him to be reminded of Shuro in that juvenile way that he likes to think of him sometimes lmao. In my marcille x rin Yuriverse Marcille also would Realise its Rin…and gaf…but I already made that joke in my other comic.

rambling hcs and criticism of Kui’s deisgn choices for the elves under the cut

I saw people pointing out how like every single elf who appears is silver-haired or blond, with light-coloured eyes (I think Mithrun’s eyes being dark are a stylistic choice, they’re canonically silver imo still). Kui kind of shot herself in the foot with her aesthetic preferences because silver hair is canonically supposed to be rare (Mithrun’s backstory, Flamela’s omake) but like every random elf in the background has it 😭 She had that one elf with black hair in her canary concept art, as well as one bg character I think? But anyway her doing this gave me a brain-blast moment about how Marcille can still be the princess of Wasia I know her to be in my heart (you don’t need canonical basis for hc ofc, but it bums me out when nonwhite interpretations have to settle for less connection to the thoughtfulness of canon in media). I like to think of black hair and dark eyes in elves as being like the equivalent of naturally silver/white hair or rare light-coloured eyes (like purple etc.) in tallmen. Theoretically possible but so rare, and overrepresented in media for their novelty. It’s also interesting to me if mixed elves all have dark hair in media as visual shorthand, but ACTUAL mixed elven individuals with that hair and eye colouring are extremely rare in reality. Similar to how dark hair and eyes are dominant IRL so its unlikely for a child of a union of a parent who is dark haired/ dark eyed parent and a light haired/light eyed parent, to have light hair or eyes. But like the reverse for elves! Few mixed elves actually have dark eyes and dark hair, but the incidence of that colouring is still higher than the general population of elves. 🤔 Also I think its an interesting (and imo realistic) kind of cultural concept/way of thinking for Marcille to internalise. I also like the idea of long-lived ethnic groups being kind of like Ancient analogues of modern ones among short-lived races. Since long-lived races often have this like Ancient History theming you know hearkening back to Rome or Greece etc. Marcille’s mom is from fantasy Zhou dynasty.

I personally have always been somewhat annoyed by Kui’s choice to do kind of “aracial” designs for the elves. You can really see it strongly when comparing the little bonus pages for each race which feature a collection of varied designs (she clearly tries to depict different features in the other races). I understand what she was trying to do, they do successfully come off as strange aliens and it plays on established tropes for elves (who are themselves hrgh…there is something so 🙃 about white fantasy nerds fantasising about a race of Naturally Beautiful Exceedingly Conventional Aryans, Kui came up with better lore reasons for Elves to be admired for their beauty) while conserving the information that needs to be used in her story. It also makes you focus more on the differences between fantasy races and similarities within them which she is trying so hard to convey. Of course there’s also the limitations of her own art style, but I don’t buy that as an excuse since it hasn’t stopped her making such distinctive white characters. It feels very cowardly (from an author who normally is braver than you’re average mangaka) to me..particularly with how the majority of elves who appear and have actual characters are quite unambiguously interpreted (and imo meant to be interpreted ) as white. The elves who appear also are very specifically from abroad (so there’s no “regional” reason for them to be so homogenous), and there are clear attempts via background characters being darker skinned to imply a multiracial society. But in that toothless colourblind way you often see in fantasy. The kind of Roman/Greek aesthetics used for the elves (both visually and in their lore/worldbuilding) already naturally lends itself to more compelling explanations PERSONALLY but also I genuinely think she just hasn’t maybe thought that deep about it or arrived at a conclusion maybe? She cares more about fleshing out the fantasy aspects and I respect that.

But you compare how much she gaf about researching historically accurate European clothing, and making the designs for her white characters and its like…girl. Many such cases where Kui has so deeply thought out and researched things, that the areas that she didn’t put so much care stick out like a sore thumb. The nonwhite characters (with the PARTIAL exception of Kabru in like doodles, and ofc the Japanese characters which she’s already familiar with) get kind of…comparatively no thought at all. It is also troubling that the most prominent dark skinned women are like evil and sexualised asf (cithis, love her down though) or aggressive (flamela, though literally being obsidian skinned I doubt even Kui would have intended for her to be read as someone who would be a dark skinned tallwoman, since she’s clearly based on drow and theres been MUCH AND MORE about the Everything of them that there’s no way shes not aware and would make a blunder like that. But I think it’s still worth noting, even though Flamela’s personality has a lot of thoughtful lore explaining it). Personally I think this happened in that kind of unthinking 2014 non black tumblr way of being like yessss sexyyyy in an inappropriate way about dark skinned women, without thinking deeper about the reasons they percieve these women in these ways. Like she did it because she thinks its hot and appealing to her. The cursed asf way that Kui drew Hexxat and Dynaheir in her Baldur’s Gate drawings also makes me less inclined to be generous to her about this. The absence of black characters too in a setting that’s literally the Mediterranean is also kind of crazy to me lol. I’m not black myself so I can’t offer much here but like I think it’s worth for Dungeon Meshi fans to have space for these critical conversations more among all of the praise of Kui as a creator.🫶 There is no reason for the kid gloves that are often afforded japanese creators from the anglosphere, for her or anyone. Like we can and should expect better, its not that she’s just a product of a society where the rarity of positive/thoughtful representations of black characters are Just How It Is (also a disingenuous concept in itself).

ANYWAY just my thoughts I’ve had for a while and they’re tangentially related to my comic so it’s going in here.

[mudanonaito]

"I'm going to catch you in my own way!!"

Happy birthday Nedzi!! @inahochi

[neige-leblanche]

the crazy thing abt "the literary canon is inaccessible" argument is that. it is quite literally some of the most accessible literature out there. depending on the format you prefer, famous books in the public domain are often available for free. if you're having trouble understanding a book, there are almost always discussion and literary guides that you can also find for free. if you genuinely still find old books too difficult but want to get into them, keep shopping around for authors and genres. if the topic interests you then you'll have more passion for a book and i guarantee you not all 100+y/o authors have confusing writing styles. and once you get into a groove it gets easier and easier, & more and more fun

[nerdie-faerie]

I'm once again thinking about the missed opportunities to have Klaus and Kol bond more. Part of Klaus' whole motivation as a vampire is to get his werewolf part back and to finally be stronger than Mikael (sort of, I'm simplifying) both of which can be obtained by breaking his curse. But Kol? Kol is the only other original that can relate to having a fundamental part of themself ripped away from them. Klaus might not have known he was a werewolf until he killed, but he likely still had a connection he couldn't explain, as evident by him going to watch the wolves transform. And something he'd never been able to explain was now gone. He might only be able to realise the connection afterwards through its absence.

Kol though. Kol had grown up with magic, a connection to nature and the world around him in a way the rest of his siblings supposedly didn't have. And then he gets turned. And not only has his baby brother died, his father has just murdered him and the rest of his siblings after forcing them to drink human blood, which he'll later learn. Now, not only does he have to deal with the grief of Henrik's death and also his own but also the loss of his magic. A loss that's likely only worsened by Kol being a self-proclaimed child prodigy.

Kol is pretty much the only one who could understand what Klaus is going through with the binding of his wolf. We know Kol searched for ways to get his magic back/carry on practicing magic in the same way that Klaus was looking for ways to break his curse. While Klaus likely could still feel his wolf there despite being bound, Kol has no access to his magic anymore. I just think they should've been able to bond or connect over their shared loss of an intrinsic aspect of their selves at the hands of their parents

[kkgraycat]

Sister told me this would do numbers on tumblr, so I'm honored to share that ao3 is fully functional on the 3ds

[cryptic-cryptid]

Why did i always think kelsang was beefy af and he actually looks like this like yeah kinda beefy ig but i thought he was fucking huge dude. Like i wanted a big beefy man hug from him. So warm. Like bear energy hes got a big enough beard but hes so much smaller than i envisioned 😭

[florasstudyjournal]

readings 06.09, FRI

working on my presentation!! honestly, i have left this so last minute, but i’m not feeling? too stressed?? shockingly??? anyways!! just reading slowly for tonight, i’ll get on the grind tomorrow afternoon (i think, i hope?)

[thepixelelf]

I want to keep making friends with more cool writers but my method before was that I'd read and review their fic and kindle something from there.... and now I'm barely reading fics which means I've lost my method and I don't know how to make friends anymore!!!

[pee-com]

college au riddler save me....

[hiya-itsamber]

i always get so shocked when i see other ppl make nash posts 🧍🏽‍♀️

[finalexpenses]

just remembered that earlier i saw someone say that dunmesh is "a dwarf father and a half-foot father and a half-elf mother trying to raise their weird autistic son (laois) together" . MARCILLE IS YOUNGER THAN LAOIS DEVELOPMENTALLY. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

[bluehairedspidey]

Its so good to see u on the chilshi train mutual beloved i love them both sm

im glad ur happy because you're the main one responsible hjkjgdsdfhkhgfdfjkg

[sleepy-vix]

can someone please donate me motivation to read