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love this outfit on him because the buttons are so close to popping and freeing his tits

#pleassssseeee i need to see them #laios touden big naturals #dunmeshi

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Mithrun's desire as an SA analogue

TW discussion of SA and detailed breakdown of aesthetics evoking SA. The way I discuss this is vivid in a way that may be triggering, though there is no discussion of actual sexual assault. Just survivor's responses to it.

People relate to Mithrun and see his condition as an analogue for a few different things, like brain injury or depression. And I think all of them are there. But I also see Mithrun's story as an SA analogue, and Ryoko Kui intentionally evokes those aesthetics. I think it's a part of Mithrun's character that a lot of people miss, but I very much consider it text. This is partially inspired by @heird99's post on what makes this scene so disturbing; so check out their post, too :)

So to start off with, the demon invades Mithrun's bed, specifically. There's even a canopy around it, which specifically evokes this idea of personal intrusion; the barrier is being pulled apart without consent or warning. The way the hand reaches towards Mithrun's body from outside of the panel division makes it almost look like the goat stroking over his body. It's an especially creepy visual detail; similarly, the goat's right hand parts into the side of the panel as well. It's literally like it's tearing the page apart; but gently. So gently.

Mithrun is in bed. It is his bed that the demon is intruding on. He's in a position of intimacy. The woman behind him is a facsimile of his "beloved" that he left behind; the woman who, in reality, chose Mithrun's brother. He is in bed with his fantasy lover, who is leaning over him. While this scene isn't explicitly sexual, it is intimate. And it is being invaded. The goat lifts Mithrun gently, who is confused, but not yet struggling.

The erotics of consumption and violence in Ryoko Kui's work(remember that the word 'erotic' can have many different meanings, please) are a... notable part of some of her illustrations. I would say she blurs the lines between all forms of desire: personal, sexual, gustatory and carnal, in her illustrations in order to emphasize the pure desire she wants to work with and evoke to serve her themes. Kui deploys sexual imagery in a lot of places in Dungeon Meshi, and this is one of them.

In this case, horrifically. The goat's assault begins with drooling, licking, and nuzzling. The goat could be enjoying and "playing with" its food. But it can also be interpreted as it "preparing" Mithrun with its tongue as it begins to literally breach Mithrun's body. The goat also invades directly through his clothing; that adds another level of disturbing to me. There's nothing Mithrun can do in this moment of violation. Mithrun is fighting, but he is fighting weakly, trying to grip on and push away when he has no ability or option to. All he can do is beg the goat to stop. And it doesn't care. This all evokes sexual assault.

The sixth panel demonstrates a somewhat sexual position, with Mithrun's thighs spread around the goat's hunched over body. In the next, the goat pulls and holds apart Mithrun's thighs as he nuzzles into him. The way the clothing bunches up looks a bit as if it has been pushed up. It has pinned Mithrun down onto the bed, into Mithrun's soft furs and pillows. It takes a place made to be supernaturally warm and comfortable, and violates it. It's utterly and intimately horrifying. To me, this sequence of positions directly evokes a rape scene. I think Kui did this very explicitly. These references to sexual invasion are part of what makes this scene so disturbing; albeit, to many viewers, subconsciously. It makes my skin crawl.

This is also the moment the goat takes Mithrun's eye. Other than this, the goat seems exceptionally strong, but also... gentle. It holds Mithrun's body tightly, but moves it around slowly. It doesn't need to hurt Mithrun physically. But in that moment, it takes Mithrun's eye. Blood seeps from a wound while an orifice that should not be pierced is penetrated. This moment, the ooze of blood in one place specifically, also evokes rape. That single bit of physical gore is a very powerful bit of imagery to me.

Finally; it is Mithrun's desire that is eaten. After his assault, Mithrun can find no pleasure in things that he once did. He is fully disassociated from his emotions. This is a common response to trauma, especially in the case of SA. It's not uncommon for people to never, or take a long time to, enjoy sex in the same way again; or at all. They might feel like their rapist has robbed them of a desire and pleasure they once had. I think this makes Mithrun's lack of desire a partial analogue for the trauma of sexual assault.

Mithrun's desire for revenge was, supposedly, all that remained. Anger at his assaulter, anger at every being that was like it; though, perhaps not anger. Devotion, in a way. To his cause. I don't know. But the immediate desire to seek revenge is another response to SA. But on to Mithrun's true feelings on the matter.

This is... So incredibly tragic. Mithrun feels used up. Like his best parts have been taken away. Like he's being... tossed aside. This certainly parallels the way assault victims can feel after being left by an abuser. Or the way assault victims feel they might be "ruined" forever for other partners. These are common sentiments for survivors to carry, and need to overcome. In the text, it's almost like Mithrun feels the only being who can desire him is a demon who might "finish devouring" him. That that's his only use. It's worth noting that Mithrun trusted the demon. Mithrun's world was built by the demon, and Mithrun, in that way, was cared for by the demon. I think this reinforces Mithrun's place as a victim.

There's also something to be said about Mithrun as a victim of his own possessive romantic and sexual desire. The mirror shows him his beloved just dining with his brother, and it infuriates him. He doesn't know if the vision is real, nor if she has really chosen his brother as a romantic partner. The goat then creates a whole fantasy world where she loves him. As Mithrun's dungeon deteriorates, she is the only person that continues to exist. Mithrun continues to have control over her. And that is the strongest desire the demon is eating, isn't it? There's something interesting there, but I don't know what to say about it.

In conclusion, I think Mithrun's story is an explicit analogue for sexual assault-- though, certainly, among other things! The way the scene plays out and is composed explicitly references sexual violation and invasion of the body. His condition mirrors common trauma responses to sexual violence. And, at the end, he finally realizes he can recover.

Let's end on a happy Mithrun, after taking the first step on his journey to recovery :) You aren't vegetable scraps Mithrun. But even if you were-- every single thing in this world has value. Even vegetable scraps.

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my little guys

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there are 2 kinds of mangaka when drawing: the ones that hate woman and the ones that love woman

And, guys...

i think ryoko kui really loves woman.

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Dungeon food, ah, dungeon food

Laios Touden and the Winged Lion

Dungeon Meshi, Ryoko Kui

^ 1:  Margaret Atwood, You Are Happy / 2: Grouper, Poison Tree / 3: Anne Carson, Plainwater: Essays and Poetry / 4: Emma Rebholz, No Good Boodsuckers / 5: Natalie Diaz, Postcolonial Love Poem / 6:  Tanaka Mhishi / 7: Jenefer Shute, Life-Size / 8 : Yves Olade, Belovéd / 9: Lara Williams, Supper Club / 10:  Ovid (tr. Henry T. Riley), The Story of Erysichthon from Metamorphoses / 11:  Alex Lemon, Another Last Day / 12:  Kathy Acker, Empire of the Senseless / 13: Grouper, Poison Tree / 14:  Neil Hilborn, A Place Where Someone Loves You / 15: / 16: Bon Iver & St. Vincent, Roslyn v 17: Jess Zimmerman, Hunger Makes Me / 18: Yves Olade, Dark When It Gets Dark, “Topograph” Special credit: Entroponauts gathered most of these

#once again haz keep scrolling like. big time. no lookie. #this has me so sick my goddddd #dungeon meshi changed who i am as a person #it's just. that good. #dunmeshi

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my beautiful princess with a disorder

#at this point kabru is the only one who can fix me #save me kabru...... please kabru.... save me....... #eating him whole #dunmeshi

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mithrun sketch to celebrate

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happy suguru sundayyyyyy

#WIFE ALERT #this is the first thing i saw when i woke up #BLESSED #GRATEFUL #haz you have the only suguru ever #gorjis.... jorjis wife... oughgh

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It's so easy to bite with your hands pinned...

🦋 kofi link in bio if you’re feeling generous 🦋

#ALL KABRU WANTS TO DO IS LITERALLY STUDY LAIOS UNDER A MICROSCOPE #god i love this #kabru is wearing a ring... ough... <3 #dunmeshi

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Kabru’s confession

After learning that Kabru had lied about being interested in monster cuisine in order to get closer to him, Kabru apologizes to Laios for lying (something we’d never seen him do before), and Laios in turn is regretful that he had made him uncomfortable. On the surface they don’t seem like big transgressions, but they had unintentionally hurt each other in ways that actually affected them very deeply (Kabru hadn’t known about Laios having had trouble making friends his whole life, and Laios hadn’t known about Kabru’s monster trauma when he so eagerly gave him monster food).

Shortly afterwards, Kabru simultaneously admits and realizes why he had truly wanted to get close to Laios:

In this moment, Kabru has reached a point where he’s desperate enough that, instead of another clever lie, he ends up blurting out the truth. And it’s a piece of information about himself that he wasn’t even aware of - he had become so good at lying that he didn’t even know his own true feelings anymore.

And how do we know it’s the truth? Because Kabru has done and said all sorts of things way wilder than this in order to get closer to achieving his goals, without ever reacting this way afterwards. He’s never been shocked or embarrassed at hearing himself come up with all sorts of lies before, it was just a means to an end, and he had been willing to do whatever it took to put an end to the cycle of dungeons and the destruction they caused.

(continued under the cut)

Yet Laios, being uncharacteristically cynical, accuses Kabru of lying again, and Kabru reacts with anger, which again he’s never done before - he was never ashamed of lying, so why take this accusation personally? I think it’s because it’s not that he was angry at being called a liar, but rather he felt that Laios was mocking him for his genuine desire to be his friend, and he felt embarrassed (it’s also possible that he felt Laios was mocking him for sucking at dungeon exploration…but Kabru had never cared about that, he had accepted that fact just fine and had sought to find someone who was very good at it and help them conquer the dungeon instead).

Anyway, with his disbelief, Laios had now given Kabru the opportunity to walk the confession back. If it had been a lie but he was embarrassed about it for some reason, Kabru could’ve used this opportunity to be like “ok yeah, you got me! What can I say, I’m a mischievous scamp” and forget the whole thing. If it wasn’t true, then he should’ve been relieved that Laios didn’t believe him (especially since they have an audience while this is all going down).

But instead of using this opportunity to put an end to this embarrassing situation, Kabru instead confirms that he was indeed interested in Laios.

(And we know it’s not just another lie, because in none of the scenes from Kabru’s perspective after this moment does he ever think “phew, thank god Laios believed that bullshit” or anything of the like, when normally that’s exactly what he would do - as the audience, we’ve been privy to a Kabru’s real feelings, so if he had been lying we would’ve found out, if for no other reason than comedy. Yet he never contradicts the confession he made.

Anyway, this is the first time that anyone has expressed an interest in pursuing a friendship with Laios, even after having gotten to know him a bit. And it’s also a rare moment of honesty and vulnerability for Kabru, someone who hid his true feelings even from his trusted companions. This moment was huge for both of them.

Furthermore, Laios and Kabru are now finally on an even footing and know what the other is all about. It’s from this point on that they can actually start building a relationship. Kabru made the first step by laying himself bare after his lie hurt Laios, and Laios in turn decides to make himself vulnerable as well by giving Kabru another chance, and meeting him halfway and also keeping his wishes wrt monster food in mind:

And although I would have liked to see more of their relationship past this point, I can see now that this scene was this particular subplot’s climax as well as its conclusion, and I can understand why Kui may have felt that nothing more was needed.

#HAZ DON'T LOOK #anyways #i enjoyed their dynamic so much #just kabru with anyone was so interesting but these two. #laios' reaction after kabru's confession and him not believing kabru was so GOOD #even if they had on-screen sex it wouldn't have been gayer than this moment #i miss labru. i miss them a lot. #dunmeshi

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don't be afraid to pursue your love interest, like my buddy kabru got his man thru sheer effort

#everytime i see them i shed tears of joy #also MOVE KABRU that should be me #or actually MOVE LAIOS that should be me #idk i want them both #dunmeshi

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#that was one of my favourite panels #the way mithrun just bitch slaps kabru #he is so funny <3 #dunmeshi

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Interesting that this drawing was chosen as a cover for such important chapter. It could've been any of the main cast characters, but it's Mithrun. There is a special kind of gentleness with which Ryōko Kui treats him

#again haz if you see this keep scrolling pls #mithrun is SO important to the story and i dont only think this because he is my favourite character #at first i thought he would just be one of the cool side characters i get extremely attached to with barely any screen time #but especially chapter 94 and his conclusion knocked me out so bad i adore how his story was handled so much #senshis analogy with the vegetable scraps made me BAWL #mithrun realising that he didn't just keep living for revenge #and realising that no matter what happened you can always start anew and overcome things <3

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King Laios

#just finished dunmeshi this morning and woah #this hits so hard #i love that this style looks a bit similar to how the last few pages are drawn #dunmeshi

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id like to force them to hang out again. for research purposes

#they are my most favourite dynamic in dunmeshi ough #(though i have some opinions about them and how people portray their relationship/them as characters but shh) #mithrun and kabru are cutieful #dunmeshi

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do you have any idea how empty that will leave you?

No reproduction/repost/reuse/edit without authorization

#oh i am sick #this is so fucking BREATHTAKING OMGGG #im so glad mithrun is my favourite character he gets the most immaculate fanart ever #everything about this makes me so unwell #dunmeshi