One of the things I really appreciate about Dungeon Meshi is how the text is so clearly full of love for animals. Like the true kind of love Laios feels for the monster where he wants to know everything about them, but most of all he respects them and loves them as animals.
One of the chapters I can't stop thinking about is the one about Anne the Kelpie. It's kind of impressive how well it illustrates the different kind of love people have for animals. And how someone that loves an animal isn't necessarily an animal lover. If that makes sense.
When Senshi calls out Anne what he says is "Don't worry Anne's Harmless" but she isn't, she's a wild animal.
Marcille immediately reacts positively about it thinking it's cute she accepts the treat Senshi has for her. And hers and Chilchuck's reaction to Senshi wanting to cross the river on her back is more surprise while Laios immediately realizes how bad of an idea it is.
But Laios is the animal monster lover so how come when he finally is faced with a "docile" monster he doesn't react positively like the others? Marcille even calls him a monster. That's because Laios loves monsters, and Senshi loves Anne.
I've seen this attitude around me several times, where people love a specific animal but what they love is their idea of that animal, they don't really know them because they don't love the animal part of them.
It becomes a "this one is special because I love them" that can quickly become an issue for the animal as much as it is for the person. It's something unfortunate I see time and time again irl.
Anne wasn't wicked, Anne wasn't mean, Anne didn't trick him. Anne was a wild animal and Senshi loved her as Anne but not as a kelpie.
She acted on instinct, maybe she did love Senshi in the way kelpies can love, but animals are still animals and must be respected and treated as such. Climbing on top of Anne's back was the equivalent of putting your arm inside a alligator's mouth, the mouth is gonna close because that's what they're designed to do.
The real life equivalent I see the most of "I love this animal but I don't love the animal part of them" is with dogs. If you insist on loving an animal without acknowledging they ARE an animal they might hurt you, you might hurt them, it will only end in grief.
The best way you can love an animal is by understanding they're an animal.
That is all to say I don't mean that the love Senshi felt for Anne wasn't real or that it's all his fault. He couldn't have known with the information he had and unfortunately it came down to the worst outcome.
I just love dungeon meshi dearly.
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was deleting stuff on my phone and found more old art with horrible text alignment lol (this scene was so much funnier in my head back then agshssksk)
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So, I'm not all that caught up with canon lore yet, but one thing that annoys me at times is when people blame Rook for his bad new style (it's not even bad. He looks cute, look at him smiling so much he's so baby). Rook has been shown several times to do things on his own volition without even warning Vil (like, you know, changing dorms?!) and you'd expect me to believe he's not the one to have chosen his new style ?
Anyway, leave my man and his bad haircut choices alone. What's the point of having hair that can grow back if you don't have some fun with them while you're still at school ?
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“‘I just…I thought you might like to come back, one day,’ Crowley said very quietly. Aziraphale’s foot pressed against his again, and Crowley drew in a sudden breath, as if he hadn’t been breathing properly since Aziraphale had stopped touching him.”
This piece was a commission from the lovely @fellshish for their lovely friend, @alphacentaurinebula ‘s fic What Are You Doing Here? This fic is cute, funny, heartwarming, and incredibly spicy, and I’m very much looking forward to finishing it! Thank you Fells for being wonderful to work with, and happy (belated) birthday to you Alphacentauri, I’m very happy I could do this for you!
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I do think it's a brilliant bit of character writing to have Chilchuck be allergic to sharing anything about his personal life with his friends, including the fact that his wife left him, and then you find out that the reason his wife left him is because he never fucking tells anyone anything. And then! The second he actually does explain everything Marcille literally just tells him exactly why his wife left and gives him advice on how to apologize and potentially mend their relationship, if he wants to. Almost all of Chilchuck's problems are because he's so repressed he doesn't know how to be open and honest with the people around him and they are also solved by being open and honest with the people around him. It's like...symmetrical character writing? I guess? It's just brilliant and it's what I mean when I say a character doesn't have to be complicated to be realistic and compelling. Ryōko Kui is a fuckin' genius and I'm going to be thinking about Dungeon Meshi for the rest of my life.
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their dynamic rly is just crowley snarling, growling and biting and aziraphale going 'oh isnt he just the sweetest, ohh <3'
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