#nawt actually gonna tag this myself

[stubbyartist]

The lack of nuance in the Toshiro debates is killing me… he’s not a bad person BUT he has done some things that are wrong.

Do I think he was wrong to be angry with laios? Not at all. He has every right to be mad about the microagressions he faces, especially from laios. And although it’s not exactly excusable for him to never communicate how he feels, it’s still understandable why he’s like that because of his upbringing and how different the eastern culture is to the island’s.

The main thing I do take issue with that I’ve seen some people defending is his proposal to Falin. I think although again, some of his decision to do so is explained by his culture and upbringing, it is absolutely not excused by it.

I’m going to preface this by saying I am not just “mad at him for trying to get between farcille” because that is not the case. This is about how his proposal completely disregards Falin’s feelings.

To understand why the proposal is such an issue, you have to understand some things about Falin. She has a low self esteem, likely due to not only being treated as an outcast by her village, but also by her magic school peers. Falin is pretty naturally a people pleaser as well, and very rarely does she stand up for herself.

When Toshiro proposes, without ever asking her out or getting to know her well, Falin is very much startled by it. And the other characters take issue with it as well. The proposal is not something that had any precedent. The scary thing, and the reason the proposal is so wrong, is that Falin Considers Accepting! Even though she does not love him or want to marry him! Because she thinks she’ll never get another one! This is something that really shows how little Toshiro knows and understands Falin. If he actually knew her well enough, I believe he wouldn’t have proposed. Because it put Falin in such an uncomfortable position as a person who has such low self esteem that she struggles to say no to something that anyone else would’ve rejected immediately.

And this is not even regarding the fact that the society that the characters live in is very patriarchal, and most women are expected to marry men that have been determined by their families. At one point Falin does have an arranged marriage as well! But it’s ultimately dropped when she goes to magic school.

All this to say. The characters in dungeon meshi are all very flawed characters, there’s not a single character that is completely perfect! And that’s why it’s so good. Toshiro is not evil, nor is he a saint. And that’s why he’s able to be a compelling character! The characters in dungeon meshi feel so real and human Because they have so many flaws, and aren’t always in perfect moral standing. Ryoko Kui is crazy good at writing characters that are believable, and there’s no main character that feels super flat to me.

End of rant! here’s the little source of this rant as well.

[squish--squash]

A03 Questions Tag Game

I got tagged by @coffincrows

I tag: @theroyalspiderart and well, anyone who wants to do this (my mind has drawn a blank)

1 – How many works do you have on AO3?

Okay, so, I actually have two ao3 accounts. One I don't use anymore and one I do currently. So I'm gonna count both of them

In total, it's at least 41. (14 on my current account, 24 on the old one, and there's 3 fics I've written that have since been orphaned that I remember having written)

2 – What's your total AO3 word count?

Roughly 150,549, but that's only from the unorphaned works, so it's gonna be a few thousand more, probably more like 152-155k

3 – What fandoms do you write for?

Currently just cotl, but I've written for a bunch of fandoms over the years, like mcyt, tgcf, mha, and a couple other fandoms, although those are the ones I've posted to ao3. Wattpad, where I started tho? Lot more lmao

4 – What are your top five fics by kudos?

I plead the fifth

5 – Do you respond to comments?

Yes!! I try to respond to every single comment I get, I appreciate and love my commenters so much <3

6 – What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't remember the name of it, but it was a fic from my old account. I typically don't do angsty endings, so it's rare for me to do

7 – What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Pretty much all of them aldhsha except a few with more ambiguous endings (sorry I'm being so vague)

8 – Do you get hate on fics?

Not that I've seen, no.

9 – Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I've written smut like. 4-5 times in my life (default poses in asexual), and only 2 of them are published to ao3. I have NO CLUE what "kind" of smut it is, but people on both works have described it as "tender" so ig that'll work

10 – Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I do nawt like crossovers much, so I don't write them. Closest I do is aus based off or set in another media's universe, but there's no character meetups

11 – Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not! I have no clue tho

12 – Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! My biggest fic on my old account has been translated a least once or twice (with my permission)

13 – Have you ever co-written a fic?

Not on ao3, no, but I'd like to try it again one day

14 – What's your all-time favorite ship?

Hmmmmmmm. Idk actually, my favorites shift with time. Currently it's narilamb, but it was ineffable husbands a few months ago. We'll see how it changes again in the future

15 – What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Got a couple wips for good omens and mtp but idk if I'll ever finish them, they be sitting

16 – What are your writing strengths?

I've been told my characterizations have been a strong point while reading, but I wouldn't count that as a WRITING strength. I think, to me, my writing strength is setting up an environment

17 – What are your writing weaknesses?

Pacing and endings. I struggle with them every single time.

18 – Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I love it! I wish wish I knew more than English so I'd be comfy doing it myself (bc relying on online translators doesn't seem like a good idea slshs)

19 – First fandom you wrote for?

On ao3? I think mha?? Not sure I must have started posting ao3 fics over 5 years ago at this point (first fandom I wrote for period? Creepypasta fandom, on quotev.)

20 – Favorite fic you've written?

As of rn, maybe "of Harvest, of Celebration, and of Rest". I was so proud of it when I finished, and I love it :]