#is that i think there will be some insights that will be interesting

[loriache]

Kabru, impossible mutual understanding & unknowable objects

Despite his concerted and constant efforts to understand other people, it’s established in a few extras that Kabru believes that true mutual understanding between certain different races is impossible. Specifically, between long-lived and short-lived races, and between humans and demi-humans. Partially, we can trace this conviction back to specific hang-ups caused by his life; the trauma of the Utaya disaster, prejudices he carries from his childhood, and his experience of racism among the elves. In this “little” essay, I’m gonna discuss how I think those experiences formed this belief, how it comes out in his actions, and how some of his actions seem to contradict it. The question of whether it’s possible to reach mutual understanding with other living beings despite our differences is one of the core themes of the manga, and I’ll also touch on how this aspect of Kabru’s character links to that.

Seeking understanding

Kabru is a character who devotes a huge amount of time and effort to understanding people, and he is very good at it. In his internal monologue, we can tell how advanced and complex his skills of analysis are. He is able to read a huge amount of information just from looking at people's faces and body language.

People are, to him, what monsters are to Laios. This is something that's been expanded on at length in other, excellent meta. It's the fact that they're foils; it's the fact that Kabru is also very easy to read as autistic, with a special interest which is the opposite and parallel of Laios'. It's something that came out of trauma and alienation, as Laios' special interest in monsters also began as a coping mechanism.

The complicated origin of this "love" for monsters and for people comes through, I think, in the fact that one of the places we see both characters use their fixation is in being very, very good at killing the thing that they love. This also ties into the idea that loving something isn't even remotely mutually exclusive with using it to sustain your own survival; using it for your own purposes; hurting it or killing it. Love can be, and often is, violent, possessive and consumptive. This understanding is part of what makes Kui's depiction of interpersonal relationships so compelling to me.

While Laios fixated on monsters and animals to seek a place of escape, in both his imagination and his self-image, from the humans who he couldn't understand and who couldn't understand him, Kabru seems to have fixated on understanding people in order to navigate the complex, socially marginal places that he has been forced into throughout his life. As an illegitimate child raised by a single mother with an appearance that marked him out as different to the point his father's family wanted to kill him, and a tallman child raised among elves who didn't treat him as fully human and wanted him to perform gratefulness for that treatment – treatment that, after he met Rin at age 9, he certainly always understood could be a lot worse – his ability to work out what people wanted from him, whether they were friendly or hostile or had ulterior motives, wasn’t just an interest. It will have been an essential skill.  

Milsiril, I think, was a flawed parent who tried to do her best by Kabru and did a lot of harm to him despite her best intentions. She may have treated him much better than an average elf would have, but like Otta and Marcille's mother, there are other elves with different outlooks on short-lived races. How would they judge her treatment of him? We don’t have any insight on what it could be, but to be honest, the person’s whose opinion of her I’d be most interested in knowing is Rin’s.

But even if she'd been perfect, living as an trans-racial adoptee in a deeply hierarchical nation with a queen who is a 'staunch traditionalist' who wouldn't even acknowledge the existence of a half-elf like Marcille (according to Cithis) is an experience that would deeply impact anyone.

Elves & Impossible mutual understanding

While Kabru was living with Milsiril - in other words, while living in the Northern Central Continent - he came to believe that "there was no way to achieve mutual understanding with the long-lived races."

This is evident in his political project: he wants short-lived races to have ownership over the dungeon's secrets. Despite his dislike of the Lord of the Island, he's a useful bulwark to stop the elves taking over. Despite his doubts about Laios, Laios needs to be the one to defeat the dungeon, because if he doesn't the elves will take over.

Kabru still carries a deep scar from Utaya, one that was exacerbated by the fact that he never got an answer to any of his questions about what happened or why. This, despite the fact that Milsiril knows about the demon and how it works. Do you think Kabru, with his social perceptiveness that borders on the superhuman, wasn't aware that she knew more than she would tell him?

Given that, the fact that he gets to a place where he "doesn't have any particularly negative feelings about [elves/long-lived species]" .... well, to put it bluntly, I believe that he thinks that's the case, but I kind of doubt it. After all, if he did have resentment, of Milsiril (someone who was his primary provider and caretaker since age six, and who despite her flaws, loves him and who I do think he loves) or of elves (who he has had to play nice with for most of his life, in order to survive, and will still have to play nice with in order to achieve his goals, since they hold all the power) what would that do except hurt him and make his life harder? Kabru is Mr. Pragmatic, so I don't think he'd let himself acknowledge any such feelings he did have. Exactly because he can't acknowledge them, they're well placed to get internalised as beliefs about the Fundamental Unchangeable Nature of the World.

However, these stated beliefs seem to contradict his actions. Despite his belief in the impossibility of forming a mutual understanding, he certainly seems to try to understand long-lived people, just as much as he does short-lived people. There's no noticeable difference between his treatment of Daya & Holm versus Mickbell & Rin that isn't clearly down to their relationship with him. His skills of human analysis were honed and developed while living amongst elves, and as soon as he's alone with Mithrun he immediately sets to understanding him - his interests, his motivations, his needs, and his past.

He treats him considerately and without bias, and despite the fact that Mithrun conquering the dungeon for the elves is both a reenactment of a core part of his childhood trauma and a political disaster for his aims, that doesn't seem to colour his perspective on Mithrun negatively at all.

This is something I find extremely laudable about Kabru, and it's another way he parallels Laios. He seems to understand that people, as a rule, (in Laios' case, he understands this about monsters - and eventually, all living beings) will act in their own interests, and if those interests conflict with yours, might harm you. But that's just their nature, and it's not something that should be held against them; you're also doing the same thing, after all. The crux of Laios' arc is precisely that he has to accept the responsibility of hurting someone else in order to achieve what he wants.

Kabru is deeply concerned with his own morals, what he should and shouldn't do, but mostly in the context of responsibility for the consequences - a responsibility he takes onto himself. He isn't scrupulous about what he needs to do in order to create the outcome he wants, but if he fails to create that outcome, then....

He blames himself to the point of thinking he should die. He doesn't blame Laios, or seem at all angry with him, despite concluding he should have killed him to prevent this outcome. That's because in his eyes, ultimately Laios was going to act according to his own nature, and it's Kabru's fault for not understanding that nature well enough. He's extremely confident in his ability to understand and predict others, (including elves and other long-lived people). Then, where does his conviction that mutual understanding is impossible come from?

Partially, it's the "mutual" part. I'm sure Kabru, who isn't able or willing to deny Otta's insinuation that Milsiril saw him more like a pet than a son, has felt that his full interiority, the depth of his feelings and his ability to grow, act, and think as a fully equal being, was something that the elves around him just couldn't grasp. Because that was their excuse for it, he came to understand this as a gulf between short-lived and long-lived beings, an inevitable difference in outlook caused by their different lifespans.

This experience might be part of what leads to his iconic “fake” behaviour. He trusts his ability to understand others, but if they aren’t able to understand him, then there isn’t any benefit to being honest about his feelings and thoughts. If his attempts to reach mutual understanding with his caretakers were never able to be fulfilled, then it isn’t any wonder that he reacts with such surprise and horror at blurting out his desire to be Laios’ friend.

In his experience, making yourself vulnerable in that way only leads to being hurt. Soothing him, hushing him, lying to him, talking to him like a child that isn’t able to use proper judgement – that’s an inadequate and deeply hurtful way to respond to genuine distress, the desire for autonomy, or disagreement. Ultimately, I think that’s why he comes out on the side of being grateful to Milsiril; because she did equip him with the skills and knowledge he’d need to reach his goal, and let him go.

Though he could understand them, they couldn't understand him. To the extent that was true - which I'm sure it was - it wasn't due to anything about lifespan. It was due to the elves’ racism, and the solipsitic mindset & prejudiced attitude that it caused them to approach him with.

Because, if it needs to be said, the idea that there is an unbreachable gap in understanding between the long-lived and short-lived species is not true. Marcille and Laios have a much greater difference in lifespan than any full elf from any short-lived person, and they’re able to understand each other – maybe not perfectly, but better than many other people who are closer in life-span to them.

That doesn’t mean that I think Kabru is wrong about this, however. Because there’s an interpretation of his statement that is reflected in his actions and is true. When he talks about his problem with elves, it’s not just their attitudes: it’s their power, and what they use it to do. They “explain nothing and take everything”. Though it’s presented in the guise of ‘guiding and protecting’, in fact it���s a simple case of a powerful nation using their military power, wealth, access to resources, and historically stolen land – including the island itself – to protect their own interests and advance their own agenda. That’s why they’d be able to show up, seize the dungeon, and forcibly take Kabru’s party and Laios’ party to the West. If Kabru wants to stop that from happening, or change that status quo, persuasion or a bid to be understood would be completely pointless. Between the political blocs formed by long-lived species and the interests of short-lived species, “mutual understanding”, given their current, unequal terms, would be impossible. This is something that we see reflected in Kabru’s actions; before he asks his questions about the dungeon, he grabs Mithrun as leverage. He never really attempts to persuade the canaries to see his point of view, because that would be pointless: they’re agents of the Northern Central Continent’s monarchy, and will act in its interests regardless of any individual relationship with him.  

I don’t think Kabru sees the different dimensions of this belief of his in quite such clear terms, however, as is evidenced by the other group who he thinks it’s impossible to communicate with.

Demi-Humans & Unknowable Objects

The other place that we see his conviction about the impossibility of mutual understanding is in the kobold extra.

I'm including the whole thing, because I think it's an excellent and clever piece of world-building. Aside from what it says about Kabru, which I'll expand on shortly, what this extra does is deconstruct and call into question the usual "fantasy ontological biology" present in these sort of DnD-like settings. Essentially, the kind of worldbuilding where a race (such as kobolds) can be described as war-like, and that's establishing something essential about their biological nature. That's common to the point that if Kui didn't include this, some people would probably come away thinking that's the case about, e.g., the orcs.

But here, despite what Kabru is saying, the information the reader actually gets is:

the conflict between short-lived humans and demi-humans such as kobolds is mostly over access to material resources that they need to survive.

These resources are scarce because powerful nations, such as the elves, have monopolised them.

Kabru, who has grown up in a place at the centre of these conflicts, ascribes essential, negative traits to a cultural group which was in direct conflict with his own. Communication with this other group is impossible; they aren't people, they're more like objects.

oh yes! just like this conflict between groups of tall-men, a conflict which the reader will immediately interpret as more clearly analogous to real-life racism. Our other protagonists also carry prejudices from growing up in a place where a marginalised group was in conflict with the dominant group over scarce resources. It's definitely impossible to communicate with these people, and you can only kill them.

Woah, when you say it like that, it sounds pretty bad!

But also, nobody walks away having had a realisation or unlearned their prejudices - because they don't have the tools they need to do that work. Yet. I do think, to an extent, it could happen - especially with Kabru, since it's suggested in the epilogue that Melini might become a safe-haven for demi-humans.

To focus in on Kabru, the key here is his statement that you should think of demi-humans as "unknowable objects". Even his extraordinary powers of understanding have seemingly hit a limit. Part of this is just inherited prejudice, and doesn't need to have a complicated psychological explanation, any more than the elves who were prejudiced against him need one.

But also... this is probably somewhat linked to the way demi-humans seem to be considered "pseudo-monsters". They're the place that the strict delineation between the human and the monstrous is permeated. Laios, who is not interested in humans, remembers and is excited by Kuro. Chilchuck and Laios argue over whether it's OK to eat a mermaid. Kabru's prepared to (pretend to) roll with the idea that Laios ate the orcs.

But these are people, aren't they? Of course, this is a social construction, as we see from the fact that in the Eastern Archipelago, the label of "human" is reserved for tallmen, but in most of the rest of the world it depends on some obviously arbirary classification based on number of bones; "demi-humans" aren't in any essential way monstrous, except to an extent in their appearance, and physical location - due to their marginal social status, they're pushed out to live in unsafe places such as dungeons.

Therefore, Kabru's view of demi-humans as fundamentally "other", unable to be understood - monstrous - could be read as akin to abjection, the psychoanalytical concept described by Julia Kristeva. In order to create a bounded, secure superego, that thing which permeates and calls into question the border between self and other, human and animal, life and death, is rejected and pushed to the margin.

“Not me. Not that. But not nothing, either. A "something" that I do not recognize as a thing.[...] On the edge of nonexistence and hallucination, of a reality that, if I acknowledge it, annihilates me. There, abject and abjection are my safeguards. The primers of my culture.” (Kristeva et al., 1984, p. 11) “It is thus not lack of cleanliness or health that causes abjection but what disturbs identity, system, order. ” (Kristeva et al., 1984, p. 13) “The pure will be that which conforms to an established taxonomy; the impure, that which unsettles it, establishes intermixture and disorder. [...] the impure will be those that do not confine themselves to one element but point to admixture and confusion.” (Kristeva et al., 1984, p. 107) (discussing food prohibitions in Leviticus)

This is both (due to its affinity with food-loathing and disgust) a very fruitful concept to apply to dunmeshi, and a psychoanalytical theory which I wouldn't exactly cosign as True Facts About Human Psychological Development. You may also know the abject from its utilisation in the classic essay "Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine" by Barbara Creed - that's a lot more approachable than Kristeva if anyone's interested.

Key here, though, is that through the symbol of the "demi-human" is embodied a step between "human" and "monster" - and that's a prospect that puts at risk the whole notion of an absolute separation between those two categories in the first place. To Laios, that's something wonderful, and to Kabru, it's terrifying. We can see this principle further embodied in the relationship both characters have with the notion of becoming monstrous.

To Laios, this is transcendent, and represents a renunciation of everything human - in fact, if it didn't, it wouldn't "count".

To Kabru, it's a deeply-held fear, established by his childhood alienation (due to his illegitimacy, his eyes, and perhaps also his neurodivergency), deepened by monster-related trauma and the sense of responsibility and survivors guilt he feels for what happened at Utaya. His identity as a human who is not monstrous is key to his sense of stability and safety; he doesn't want to touch monsters, he doesn't even want to see them.

To acknowledge a kinship, a possibility of similarity between the things he loves (humans) and the things he hates (monsters) would be more than touching them - it would be putting them inside him. We know, quite explicitly, that this notion is triggering to Kabru. He literally has what seems to be a flashback when he's about to eat the harpy omelette.

So he abjects it, classifying the demi-human as fundamentally unlike him - an unknowable object, or an object that he refuses to know. Because in understanding it, he would interject the things he hates and fears into his self, which is already, always under threat by that hated and feared object.

Of course, again, Kabru isn't very good at enacting this refusal in practice. For one, when he chooses between his desires and ingesting the feared object, eating monsters... he eats monsters. Part of this is treating himself badly, the "ends justify the means" mentality. His goal is to destroy all monsters, so if he needs to become monster-like to do that, he will. But part of it is also the other motivation that he didn't even seem to know about until he said it: he wants to become Laios' friend, and to learn from him how a person can like monsters. He wants, at least in some part of him, to reconcile the feared and hated object into something he can understand.

For another:

Kabru can speak the kobold language. In the first place, while this may have been common in Utaya, it also could have been something he chose to learn, an early expression of his interest in understanding and talking to all sorts of people. It isn't the kind of thing you learn if you believe that communication between yourself and the group that speak it is impossible, is it?

It's possible to harbour prejudices against a group while being kind to an individual, and given Kabru has those prejudices regardless of his reasons, that is what he is doing. But also, his treatment of Kuro doesn't reflect a sincerely held belief that he's an "unknowable object" at all. His approach is exactly the same as it is to any other person: an analysis of goal and motive, and an attempt to help if he's sympathetic and their goals align - going out of his way to give language and local knowledge lessons in secret. His conviction that Mickbell and Kuro will truly become friends when they can properly communicate is completely contradictory to any sense of demi-humans as fundamentally different, or impossible to reach mutual understanding with. To me, it seems like this self-protective shield against the corruptive force demi-humans as an idea present to his identity, this abjection, when Kabru is face-to-face with one, just simply can't hold up against his finely honed skill of intellectual empathy. Perhaps because he's autistic, it seems his "empathy" is less an emotional mirror response, and more a set of cognitive skills for analysis of others. That instinctual, emotional empathy might not trigger when presented with a member of an out-group, but if it’s possible for Kabru to turn his cognitive empathy off, we don’t see him do it.

This isn't to say that this prejudice doesn't affect his behaviour. For one, it could negatively impact his judgement of politics and policy, where individual people don't enter into it. For another, I'm not convinced he'd be willing to overlook Mickbell's exploitative relationship with Kuro if Kuro wasn't a kobold. As it is, since both of them are satisfied, he doesn't feel like he needs to intervene, regardless of the fact Mickbell isn't paying Kuro. But if Daya and Holm were in a relationship, and Holm took both Daya's and his own share from their ventures, but only compensated her in living expenses and kept the rest, do you think he'd tolerate it, for example? Even if she said it was OK?

Conclusion

The kelpie chapter establishes that "people can never know what monsters are really thinking." That isn't just true of monsters, though.

True mutual understanding is impossible - between anyone. We can never truly understand another person's heart. This is touched on in, for example, the existence of shapeshifters and dopplegangers. Even a monster that seemed like a perfect copy of a person wouldn’t be that person, and wouldn’t be a satisfactory replacement.

We’re intended, I think, to understand the winged lion's repeated suggestions to just replace people who have been lost with copies as something uncanny, which demonstrates the way that the winged lion never manages to attain a complete understanding of humans. A version of a person who was created to fulfil your memories of them, to be the person who you wanted them to be, would be a terrible, miserable thing.

Disagreeing, coming into conflict, and misunderstanding each other, are essential parts of what it means to be living beings, as fundamental as the need to eat.

The only thing to do is not to take more than you need to eat to survive, and not impose your own desires onto others. To do your best to sincerely communicate your desires, even if they're embarrassing or vulnerable or strange, like Kabru eventually does with Laios; like Laios does, bit by bit, with the people around him; like Marcille does, Chilchuck does, Senshi does... to hope they will accept you, and do your best to understand them in return.

We can re-examine, in that context, Kabru's line about the elves' tendency to "explain nothing and take everything".

They have the power to impose their preferred "menu" onto less powerful groups. And in that context, mutual understanding being impossible just means that they won't give up their power because they're asked nicely. Kabru's goal is to seize the truth that they won't give to him, and to create a situation where they can't take everything. Because he's accurately surmised that nothing about the treatment of short-lived races will change so long as the power imbalance remains. Despite the way he mistakenly ascribes part of that to "long-lived vs short-lived" or "human vs demi-human", the actual gulfs in understanding he identifies are structural, are about power and about access to material resources and safety.

I think he could come to recognise this. Yaad is teaching him political science after all, and while a prince's lessons on political science won't exactly get at much that's radical or invested in the interests and perspectives of the marginalised (Capital is a critique of for a reason after all...) I believe in Kabru's ability to learn critically and get more from a lesson than it was intended to teach.

#og post #kabru of utaya #kabru dungeon meshi #laios touden #dungeon meshi meta #dungeon meshi #dunmeshi #dungeon meshi manga spoilers #dungeon meshi analysis #kuro dungeon meshi #the canaries #milsiril #continuing to develop my kabru theses. #literally sitting and thinking about kabru all day. rotating him. #he's in the microwave. to me.

[cinnamon-girl-writes]

mastermind ✧ ‧˚₊ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧

Getting assigned your first case after getting accepted into law school is exciting-- unless you're paired up with your least favorite person and rival, Hiromi Higuruma.

academic rivals to lovers, no curses au ₊ ⊹˚✧

by @cinnamon-girl-writes

You didn't hate any of your peers.

Your lab partner was always pleasant. The group of girls that always sat in front of you was friendly enough. Even the guy that always asked you for a pen wasn't too bad. And then there was Hiromi Higuruma.

You had never met a person more infuriating. His aloof personality coupled with his seeming desire to always outdo you in every test and every case drove you insane. It was in his casual nonchalance and natural aura of intelligence. You could hardly show up to class without thinking about outshine him that day. Is he prepared? You've written your entire case report. What would he wear? You would dress nicer. Where would he sit? Would you be able to see him from there?

Today was a special day. You had been given your first ever case to apprentice as a law student. You had studied your case files all night and you flipped through the pages as you entered your classroom, choosing a seat near the front. As you sat, you smoothed out your skirt and ran your hands over your legs. For some reason, you were unusually nervous for the lecture to start.

Your professor entered the class a few minutes later, carrying a stack of papers. You leaned in eagerly, wanting to get more information on your case study.

The man set the papers on his desk, coming forward to the class and speaking, "Due to unforseen circumstances, you will now have assigned parters for this project." Partners? Okay, this couldn't be too bad. At least you'd have some help if the workload was too much.

He began calling the names of groups and one by one, they'd walk up to the front of the class and recieve their packets. In your head, you counted down how many people had gotten their groups already. You were starting to panic when you realized most of the people you know had already been paired up. Hopefully you'd be with someone competent at the very least.

"Y/n L/n and Hiromi Higuruma."

You freeze in your seat. Seriously? Out of all the people in this class, you had to be paired up with your least favorite?

Lost in your stupor, you didn't notice Hiromi walking down the aisle to the front. You mentally scolded yourself for letting him be more on top of things than you.

You followed him to recieve your respective packets. You noticed the way he thankde the professor cordially, making sure to do so as well. Again, you followed him back up the stairs to your seat. God, this is going to be awful.

When everyone had been partnered up and had returned to their seats, your professor explained a little more about the project. "I hope this change of plans won't be too much of a burden. Your partners were chosen based on similar GPA's and test scores, so you should be matching on intellectual levels."

Of course, that's why you were placed with him. You knew for a fact that you had the two highest ranks in your class, mostly because you were always struggling to keep your lead.

For the rest of class, you couldn't think about anything except him. You almost fell out of your seat when everyone started getting up to leave, surprised that the class was over already.

As you're getting your bags together, you feel someone walk up to you. "Hello, I'm sorry we didn't get to talk earlier . . ."

Turning around, you come face to face with Hiromi. You greet him and finish gathering your things, starting to walk out the building with him trailing beside you.

"I'm very interested in our client's case. Have you studied your files yet?" he asks.

"Yeah, I read them all last night. But hopefully this new information will give us a little more insight," you say.

He nods, "I agree. Are you free for coffee sometime? To look over the case together."

You're a little surprised. After all, you would have plenty of time during study hall and probably some time after lectures. "Sure, sounds good to me."

He sports a small smile, "Tomorrow, 9 o'clock?"

You agree, and soon you make your way down the sidewalk together to where your paths diverge.

"Oh, and Y/n." You look up, and he looks at intently. "I hope there's no bad blood between us."

You straighten a bit, offering him a hand. "Of course."

He accepts your handshake, and you notice his grip. It's firm and his hand is warm and soft. You feel a little disappointed when he takes it back.

You quickly exchange phone numbers before saying your farewells and going your separate ways on campus. As you head back to your dorm, you can't shake the thoughts of everything that had happened that morning: how kind he was. The feeling of his hand in yours.

This was going to be a long few days.

-

The next morning, you were leaving your dorm at 8:30 am on the dot. In all honesty, you were really looking forward to your coffee this morning.

The air was cold and crisp, and you felt leaves being crunched under your shoes. As you walked, it dawned on you that there was now only two days until the hearing. You'd have to spend more time with Higuruma than you anticipated.

Eventually, you entered the quaint cafe that Higuruma had invited you to. You liked it here, with it's large windows that let in plenty of sunlight and homemade coffee. You wonder if Hiromi likes it here too.

Seeing him wave, you walk over to the table he's seated at. The contents of his case file are currently spread across the table in what appears to be a methodical order. You examine the notes he has written down, comparing them to your own.

The rest of your meeting goes well. After getting your coffee, you continue to compare notes and discuss the case.

After a few moments of silence, each of you reviewing your own work, you asked, "Hiromi?"

He looked up from his notes, humming to signal his attention.

"Do you think we can really win this case?" you asked. "I mean, there's enough of evidence to convict, but this is the first time either of us have done this. I can't help but think . . ." you trailed off.

He set his papers down, taking one of your hands in his. "It's going to be okay, Y/n. You're capable, I know you are."

You felt your cheeks warm. "Thank you. I just really want to do well."

"I know," he says with a hint of sympathy in his voice.

— The day of the trial was finally here. You shuffled your files nervously as you made your way into the courtroom and sat down at the prosecutor's counsel table. You layed your files out in front of you in the same way you had seen Hiromi do at the cafe. You chided yourself for imitating him, but you had to admit, you did look up to him.

Speaking of the devil, a few moments later, he joined you at the table, his dark hair neatly combed back and his clothes elegantly pressed. Watching him from the corner of your eye, you envied how calm and collected he looked. Sure, you can study all you want, but natural skill is just as valuable as the all-nighters you pulled.

You look over at the defendant's lawyer and think maybe you're in over your head. A large, burly man sits at the table, reviewing his files with a self-assured look.

Hiromi set his files on the table next to where yours were spread out. "Good morning, Miss Y/n."

You nodded politely, "Good morning."

He sat, flipping through his case files. "You look lovely this morning."

You uttered a small thanks, fighting to keep the blush from your cheeks and hoped you were wearing enough makeup to conceal it.

Sooner than expected, the judge made her way into the courtroom and the session had began. Since neither of you were technically lawyers yet, you had a mentor there to take care of the logistics of the courtroom.

The judge, an older woman with spiky brown hair, announced to the jury, "Mr. Sato has been accused of embezzling funds from LSA Real Estate Company." She goes on to state that the accused has pleaded not guilty at his preliminary trial, which is why this session is taking place.

She announces that it's time for the prosecutor to make their opening statement. Higuruma stands, as it was agreed upon that he would take this job. His claim is short and precise, unlike some of the drawn-out opening statements you've heard, and he delivers his words with confidence and conviction. You're astonished by how good he is at this. You felt like you've been pacing the floor since you were assigned this case a week ago.

When he sits, you call the witness to the stand. She takes her oath, swearing to tell the whole truth, and begins her testimony. She claims that she's seen the defendant purposefully transferring money from the company's account to his own under his work title. You know what she's saying is true because you've got the security camera images in front of you and you shared a copy of them with the judge before the trial began. When she's done talking, the judge asks if you have any more witnesses, which you don't. She then instructs you to make your closing argument.

With shaking hands, you stand and smooth out your skirt. But before you could move to the front of the table, you felt a hand grasp yours and give yours a reassuring squeeze. Hiromi. You knew it was his before you looked down because of the way his hand felt the other day and the day before that. You're a bit embarrased that you remembered the feeling, but before you have a chance to react, you're in front of the jury.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we've provided ample evidence as to why the defendant is guilty. He has been proven by the witness to have embezzled funds from his company. I trust that you'll make the right decision in the name of justice." With that, you're taking your seat next to Hiromi. You want to thank him somehow for his reassurment, but you feel that now isn't the appropriate time.

The defendant's lawyer stands and makes his closing argument. It's good, you have to admit it. It seems like it's going to be a close call.

As he finishes, the jury exits the room and begins their deliberations. You want to say something, to reach out to Hiromi, but the room is nearly silent and the jurors could come in at any minute, so you decided against it. You don't look over at him, instead opting to scan your files one last time, but you can sense him becoming more and more anxious to hear the results.

Tensions in the room were rising when the jurors finally come back into the courtroom. At this point, the verdict has aready been decided, and you're anxious to hear it.

The judge picks up the verdict written by the jury and reads it aloud. You're on the edge of your seat as she says, "Mr. Sato has been found guilty of embezzlement against LSA Real Estate Company."

You'd done it, you'd won the trial! Although you wanted to celebrate, it would be improper to do so at the moment, but you risked sneaking a glance at Hiromi. He had a silently triumphant look on his face which you relished in. You'd done it, and though it was against your pride to say so, you'd done it together.

The verdict is announced; he'll serve six years in federal prison.

The session was adjourned. The defendant, now in custody, was being led out of the building. As you gathered your things to leave, you started to think anxiously.

You realized you didn't want this to be the end. You wanted to spend more time with Hiromi. You wanted to study with him and talk to him and hold his hand again. You weren’t ready to say goodbye.

The court made their way out of the room, filing one by one into the lobby. You got outside as soon as possible, deciding you needed some fresh air.

As you walked outside and started down the cobblestone steps, you hear someone burst out of the courtroom doors.

“Y/n!”

Higuruma appears behind you, his files in a messy pile in his arms.

“You never said goodbye,” he explains. “Aren’t you happy we won the case?”

You look up at him, feeling a little sad. And then you were embarrassed that you were sad, because you hardly knew him and you were supposed to hate him.

“Yeah, sorry. I just figured you’d want to leave soon,” you say.

His face falls a little. “No, I wanted to talk to you. About the case.”

You faltered. Did he want to talk to you about something else?

“Plus, I didnt want to leave you just yet,” he says.

"Oh . . ." you trail off. What does he mean? "Okay. Is there something about the case you wanted to ask? Or can it wait for some other time?"

He held his eye contact. "No, it's not about the case." You waited for him to explain. What was this all about? Was there a problem?

“I . . . I really like you, Y/n. You’re dedicated and intelligent and I want to spend more time with you.”

You step back slightly, which causes you to nearly topple over, forgetting you were on the stairs. It's Hiromi's arm that catches you just in time, looping around your waist as his other arm grabs onto the rail for stability.

He's alarmingly close now, so close that you can feel his nose touching your own.

"Y/n, are you okay-"

"Kiss me," you say, "Kiss me, Hiromi."

And he does; he leans in even closer until his lips are flush against your own. It's hot and it's intimate and you're sure there are people watching you right now but you don't care. The kiss deepens and you taste him, golden honey and mint and things you can't name but want to memorize.

All too soon, he pulls away. He helps you down to the sidewalk with his hand still on your waist. He kisses you again, but this time it's slower, more intentional.

You share many kisses that day, and even more that night. You share kisses for the rest of the semester, and the rest of the year.

Needless to say, you're growing more and more fond of Hiromi Higuruma.

#jjk #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #higuruma hiromi #higuruma Hiromi x reader #higuruma x reader #jjk higuruma #jjk hiromi #hiromi higuruma #hiromi jjk #jujutsu kaisen higuruma #higuruma smut

[the-modern-typewriter]

Hello this is a question that came about from watching the new Fallout TV show and a character named Maximus. He’s a relatively neutral character and his arc is very wonderful coming from a writer and big book reader but I noticed that the average viewer doesn’t understand his character and actually hates him… my question is as an author is it okay to make your story more digestible to people who lack perception since it’s the general audience for mainstream media and how do you do that without losing your story? Idk this was probably too complex and a stupid question 💔

Not a stupid question! There are no stupid questions.

Going to unpack this a bit though. (I haven't seen the show.) First some general points, but then some advice on balancing complexity in a story.

So. Some things to get out of the way:

You don't know what the average viewer is thinking. Just because their opinion on a character is different to yours, doesn't mean they lack perception. Do we sometimes have an issue with critical thinking in the modern age? Yes. But we also live in an age where people bring a vast array of different insights and experiences into the stories they read/watch. 99% of the time a story doesn't have just one right interpretation, especially if it is a more complex narrative.

You CAN try to write a story that is more digestible to a general audience, but if you do have concerns about the media literacy of the general population, focusing on providing unchallenging stories is not the fix to that. People learn through engaging with interesting work and having discussions about them - e.g. when they are given the opportunity to. Perception, like anything, is a skill trained with practice. No one's born with it. There's no inherent us/them that can't be changed.

Will you be happy and fulfilled as a writer writing stories that you feel are dumbed or watered down? I know I wouldn't end up writing the versions of stories that I want. Similarly, you probably won't then attract the readers/audience that most resonate with your ideas, because you don't give them the chance.

Generally speaking, people hate being talked down to. As a reader/lover of stories, if I thought a writer was talking down to me and thought I was an idiot who couldn't understand the themes/plot, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with their stuff. It's a horrible feeling, isn't it? It's like being written off before you even leave the gate.

Okay, now some advice: Amazing children's books are a great example of stories that are simplified to appeal and meet the audience where they are at, without losing the richness that makes them resonate and engage readers/audience. However, there are adult examples too. They share some qualities.

These often have:

Clear structure (there are a myriad story structures that you can use to make a story hit beats the reader expects and create a sense of satisfaction, while still giving you room to play.)

High concept story idea/plot (so, stories that can be explained/pitched in a line. E.g. children are forced to fight in televised death matches (Hunger Games), a famous author is imprisoned by a dangerous fan who doesn't approve of his new work (Misery), 'it's jaws in outer space!'). These stories have simple premises that often have wide-appeal, but the stories themselves can be complex.

Engaging main character(s) with a clear goal/agenda. They don't have to all be morally pure, but for an easy win, your character should be likeable/easy to root for. In a children's book, e.g. at the simplest level, these are often also high concept. (E.g. a mouse wants to be heard so is convinced it needs a lion's roar to be loved - The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright)

There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. Game of Thrones was phenomenally popular, for example, but I don't think it's an easy to sink into world/simple set of characters.

Watering down an existing story to fit a different target audience is often not going to lead you to write the best story. This is because it's like trying to fit a triangle into a circle, or make a banana bread into a savoury scone. However, there are plenty of stories with mass-appeal that offer readers a variety of different levels to engage with them, so it is very possible to write a brilliant story with mass appeal. But you work from the foundations up, not from the finished product down.

I hope this helps!

#writing advice #writing talk #writing tips #creative writing #fiction writing #writing #on writing

[deception-united]

Do you have any advice on writing an actual book, that has no dialog?

Like I haven't started yet, and I don't know what I'm doing before hand, and I can't really find much.

Thanks for asking! Writing a book without dialogue can be a challenging endeavor, but it can also offer a lot of creative opportunities. Here are some tips to get you started:

Establish a strong narrative voice: Since you won't have dialogue to convey character personalities or interactions, your narrative voice becomes crucial. Develop a strong narrator who can guide readers through the story, offering insights, thoughts, and observations. Keep in mind that this will differ based on which perspective you're writing in (first person, second person, third person limited, or third person omniscient).

Focus on descriptive writing: Without dialogue, you'll rely heavily on descriptive prose to convey emotions, actions, and atmosphere. Use vivid imagery, sensory details, and evocative language to paint a rich picture of your story world.

Show, don't tell: This rule becomes even more important when writing without dialogue. Instead of telling readers what characters are feeling or thinking through dialogue, show it through their actions, body language, and internal reflections.

Create complex characters: While you won't have characters speaking directly to each other, you can still develop rich, complex characters through their actions, decisions, and internal conflicts. Give your characters depth by exploring their motivations, fears, and desires.

Use inner monologue: Since you won't have characters speaking their thoughts aloud, you can delve deep into their minds through inner monologue. Allow readers to see the inner workings of your characters' minds, their doubts, hopes, and fears.

Experiment with structure: Without dialogue to break up the text, you have the freedom to experiment with different narrative structures. You could use flashbacks, nonlinear storytelling, or multiple perspectives to enhance your story.

Focus on plot and pacing: With no dialogue to drive the story forward, you'll need to pay extra attention to your plot and pacing. Make sure each scene advances the story in a meaningful way and maintains the reader's interest.

Happy writing ❤

#ask #writeblr #writing #writing tips #writing advice #writing help #writing resources #creative writing

[vaguely-concerned]

Garashir ficlet, PG, context is that Garak is about to go do… Something on his own (specifics very much ????? but probably something foolhardy and secretive and doomed ala Improbable Cause) and Julian is Not Having It this time. Probably fits into some of the later seasons vibes-wise. 

Julian said tightly: “My Kardasi might still need some work, but — ”

“Oh, no at all, considering how recently you started your studies your efforts are downright impressive, if, ah — charmingly archaic at times. If that’s to be laid at anyone’s feet it should be mine, probably, remind me to recommend you something written within the last few centuries sometime soon.” 

Giving this attempt at diversion exactly as much consideration as it deserved, Julian completely ignored him and finished his own line of thought: “ — but at this point I have a veritable doctorate in Garakese. There’s something you’re not telling me.” 

“Many things, I’m sure. If I’d known you had any interest in the optimal soil composition in which to grow Lovalan roses, I would have gladly shared my insight. All you had to do is ask, my dear. In the spirit of cross-cultural knowledge exchange, I always stand ready to chip in and do my par — ”

“Elim.” 

That made Garak blink, just that split second too long, even as his face remained perfectly still and smiling around it. It was subtle enough that an unaugmented eye might not have caught it, but Julian’s did.

No longer bothering to hide his own desperation, Julian pressed on: “Elim, please. You’ve got me worried with this. I want to help in any way I can, and — and I don’t like to think about what might happen if I can’t.”

There was a moment of silence between them in which Julian could hear his own quickened breathing too loudly in his ears. 

“That’s… characteristically kind of you, Doctor,” Garak said eventually, voice slightly hushed, like someone trying not to wake a sleeping child in another room. “But there is nothing to worry about. Really.” 

“Brush me off if you really feel like you have to, but please, at least do me the courtesy of not going out of your way to insult my intelligence while you’re at it,” Julian snapped. “How stupid do you think I am? How do you expect me to just close my eyes and sit back like nothing’s wrong while you — ”

Garak sighed. “You’re right, that was unworthy of me. Please, put it down to old habit, not a lack of respect. Very well, then let me rephrase what I was trying to say slightly, in order to be more precise — whatever might or might not be going on, there’s absolutely nothing you can do, and I really would rather you stayed out of it. Knowing you to be safely out of the line of fire would provide me with infinitely more comfort and utility than anything you could actively do to help. Which, again, is nothing.”

“But — ”

“Julian. Please.” 

Julian would have been thrown less off-balance if Garak had punched him square in the jaw. “Oh, that’s a dirty trick,” he said, unsteadily. 

“And here I thought ‘turnabout is fair play’ was a guiding Human principle,” Garak said, and his tone was light but his eyes were soft and very sad. “I see I have been misinformed.”    

The idea that Julian’s initial exposure to the Cardassian language leaves him speaking it like the equivalent of a Regency era novel or something to contemporary Cardassian ears in the beginning is a headcanon that is so dear to me  

#garashir #star trek #star trek ds9 #ds9 #julian bashir #elim garak #my writing #god. I just started a new fic this evening. I've got 5 proper wips on the go now not just this style of fragment nonsense. help

[yupuffin]

The whole thing with Aventurine is good because it's devastating. (Notwithstanding the apparent fact that death is temporary in Penacony's dream, I mean.) We got this whole character arc of "Oh, this guy's clearly sketchy because he's trying to bribe you into liking him -- but then it's actually tragic because we find out that his self-esteem is so abysmal that he legitimately thinks there's no way to get you to like him other than bribing you, but at the same time, he wishes he could love himself" -- wrapped up with a nice narrative bow about him finding comfort in eternal sleep as he's no longer forced to confront a future he can't even begin to envision.

Like, on one hand, it'd be interesting to see where his mindset goes if he was made to go on living with the insight he gained over the course of a few internal monologue...

On the other hand, It'd feel like cheating if they just. Brought him back. What, you want me to grieve for two or three days, and then you want to say sike, like, whoa, you did all that grieving for nothing?! It just wouldn't make quite as much sense within the context of the narrative for me.

Sunday, though?!

I can't get over how the rapidly-switching camera angles in that cutscene remind me of the scene in Baccano! where a similar composition implies that the old conductor shoots the young conductor, but, several episodes later, it's revealed that the young conductor actually pulled a metaphorical Uno reverse card and, with the help of some fancy martial arts tricks, disarmed the old conductor and shot him with his own gun instead.

I think it would be HILARIOUS if it turned out that Sunday did something like that. I will believe that this is canon until it's disproved. 🤣

#spoilers #hsr spoilers #star rail #aventurine #hsr aventurine

[shadowslocked]

Look man, maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t be feeling more motivated to come forward about work place abuse if somebody was talking about me on stream in front of a bunch of people I don’t know, saying that I’m being manipulated and having Stockholm’s Syndrome, or worse throwing me under the bus for not leaving or having the same problems but then kept tacking on “don’t send hate” despite knowing just how hateful medias like Twitter can be

Like, maybe that’s just me, but :/

#qadmin situation #qsmp neg #qsmp #even if these guys are being manipulated #I don’t think talking about it on a stream #is the best way to have them see reason? #seems like it’s drive people away more than anything #ah but I can’t say in the end #maybe we’ll see more coming forward about this #it was an interesting interview and insightful but also some parts #just a bit :/

[utilitycaster]

Something I really like about how Laura plays Imogen is that her idea of what's appropriate to say around people she likes is completely warped by her powers. I think Imogen feels it's better to voice your honest thoughts, even if they're somewhat tactless or lack the niceties one would expect, which makes sense because what most frustrates her is people who think one thing and say the other. However, that's not the standard for hypocrisy among people who aren't psychic, which is why she often comes off the way she does.

#critical role #honestly as someone who usually finds psychic characters VERY annoying i think this is giving us insight that is usually lacking #imogen's standards of empathy and hypocrisy are on a fully different scale than most people's are - including all of bells hells #and on some level it's like. she does know how to mask it but doesn't w/people she's more comfortable with (the party & her father) #but also it means she's often the least traditionally empathetic with people she cares about #it's a SUPER interesting flip of Laura's usual M.O. #imogen temult

[mayomkun]

In the Sandman, since Dream 'came into existence once lifeforms capable of dreaming appeared in the universe', I wonder what that lifeform is and what did it dream of. Like what is the first dream in the universe about.

#idk of the comics have anything about that though. I'm only on book 4 #some post on twitter about how octopuses (which is like super different from human in evolution) can dream got me thinking #about dreams in animal and generally other lifeforms #from what we know there are few studies on dreams in animals #we can only study their behavior while they sleep or compare brain waves with human REM sleep or something of a sort #we don't exactly know if animals can dream the way we dream #dreams in animals are interesting to me because #it makes me wonder what these bizarre visual and auditory hallucinations the brain cooks up each night are and what are they for #we can only theorize that it organizes the brain and help with memory and learning and simulating events etc. #if many animals dream despite having very different ancestors then it's definitely something useful #I don't know how to explain but it's simply wild to think about. I don't know how it doesn't blow my stupid little brain #studying dream in animals might give us more insight to dreams in human I think #delete later

[front-facing-pokemon]

#linoone #but you wouldn't be able to tell without the tag. dear lord that nose #i love this one. not for the pokémon just for the front-facing image. LOOK at this dude. that Fucking Snout. you can BARELY see their EYES #it's wonderful. this is wonderful. this is amazing. i love this #i don't have a lot to say about linoone. i don't like it as much as zigzagoon but i kinda get what they were going for? zigzag to a line #but eeehhh. it's kinda just a ferret a little bit. what is it supposed to be actually? lemme check its like. dex category #it's the “rushing pokémon” that's not helpful at all. what's galarian linoone #oh it's the same. WELL ALRIGHT i guess. this dooms me to have nothing interesting to say here. check it out it's linoone!! #i wonder if this is anyone here's favorite pokémon. if any of you out there are a linoone reading this i'm sorry i don't have more to say #but rest assured i've had less insightful comments about some pokémon before so it's totally fine i think

[swinging-through-the-stars]

them weirdos ♡ ♥

#i don't really understand what the timeline is after the sdr2 stuff #or even if i consider any of my headcanons in any part of canon lol #but sonia definitely hit her alt phase late because she wasn't quite allowed to growing up #she starts embracing her weird interests and gundham absolutely enables it #gundham was like her alt awakening but she makes it her own with the high feminine dark-pastel flair #you think sonia then also introduces gundham to like more traditional gothic fashion too with the frills #the victorian vampire aesthetic if you will #they influence each other that way #and of course i draw whatever i want outfit-wise i use some reference but then go 'you know what what if this exists' #also they're both trans and while they meet after they have felt confident about their identities #they still offer interesting encouragement and insights to each other about gender and their experience with it #i have many thoughts #danganronpa #danganronpa 2 #sonia nevermind #gundham tanaka #sondam #sonia x gundham #t4t

[velvetjune]

incredible to think that Alan Wake 2’s existence itself implies that maybe it’ll be about Alan finally leaving the dark place, directly solving the cliffhanger of Alan Wake 1, but instead now Saga, Casey, Rose, Tim, Alice, and (still) Alan are in the Dark Place. Genius subversion of expectations

#technically Alan does/doesnt escape the dark place for a bit and then willingly returns #but I’m still counting it #still love how Alan wake 2 doesn’t have some simple concrete answer where Alan is just. okay enough to leave the dark place #like on the surface it seems like a ‘bad’ ending where no one escaped #but instead we get so much time with these characters and getting insight into them #that their journey and revelations are satisfying #and I’m confident in them now being able to break out of the ‘loop’ or leave the dark place etc. #alan wake 2 #anyways. at this point they can all hang out in the dark place together #tw for drinking again. once again after drinks I feel like that one drawing of someone in the corner of a party alone #thinking solely of how much I wanna talk about Alan wake 2 #might delete if I don’t think this makes sense later on #I’m being genuine with this post btw I love that this game focuses more on the emotions and development of the characters #than it being interested in some grand villain and solution to everything #maybe that’ll be next game but for now this was great to experience

[reginageourge]

How does it feel knowing that a discourse you started has goldstars and non-goldstars fighting to this day even though you're barely active these days?

well tbf I didn't start anything, my anons did and I happened to agree. I just had a large enough following at the time for it to actually get noticed™️ by radblr at large and turn into something that has very much escaped the confines of my blog.

#im not really interested in discourse anymore but i do think it's really cool seeing all the newer gs blogs whenever i pop back in #instead of gsblr just dying off once my mutuals and I from like 2019/2020 mostly stopped being active #pre goldstar-gedden the gs discourse was just non gs shitting on gs unprompted and the gs not saying anything to avoid more hate #so it's nice that ever since then gs have been standing up for themselves instead of passively going with the flow #partially as a result of me having an opinion and some insightful friends and anons five years ago #answered 💌

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

#hello to anyone who happens to b interested in the saga of my life... also maybe the irl person i gave my url to... hopefully my blog #didnt freak her out too much lol. anyway so its been a busy week? 2 weeks? month? year? life? its been a lot. my parents helped me move #across the country from the desert to somewhere that's beautiful and green. my dad is so jealous of me lol its so so so pretty and theres s #so much to do. will i do any of it? that remains to be seen but im gonna try to be better about that sort of thing. try to get some help #with the thoughts in my head that keep me from doing and enjoying most things. its weird like im decorating my new room which i love. the #location and living situation seem ideal and i really hope i can stay here all 5 years of my program but i was picking a lot of bright #colors and now it feel uncomfortable. like if i wear things that r too bright or my room is too bright without dark contrast it feel weird #like if im wearing it it kinda makes me feel sick. idk what thats abt. anyway. ill try to heal my brain and im just so happy to b out of the #southwest. i was so so so excited when we were leaving thr city and even more so when we left the state. i cant believe im here. in December #it felt like a million years away and i really truely could not fathom how i was gonna survive that long. my thoughts were so distorted. but #i did and here i am. and in like a month i should b starting my phd program and my parents were telling me how excited ppl r for me and #jealous of where im living and im glad. im glad they're excited. i think i am too but its under a layer of: if i get excited it wont happen #im not allowed to b excited or it wont happen. which is irrational but ya kno. anyway so that's yeah. im so happy to have a fresh start and #the town seems super cool. a liberal blip in a sea of... not that so theyre very visibly pride forward haha and i think itll b way easier #for me to get around without driving. and im gonna try to make friends. i need someone to tell me where to get tattoos haha. so yea im happy #but exhausted and i dont wanna go back to work and so so greatful to my parents for being wonderful ppl idk how bc both of them had fucked #up childhoods. like my mum will say the saddest shit and im like bro this is y i don't wanna talk to my grandma fuck her and my dads parents #r so fucked. like my nana is the reason im so fucking control freaked out but i kno i have issues and she has no insight and thinks shes #better than everyone. anyway hopefully i can get back to drawing a posting more now. ive been drawing it its been in a sketch book #like an actual sketch book for sketching big ideas thst r gonna take fucking forever to draw 😭 #so that's all. just uprooted my whole life. thats all. but in a good way :-] #unrelated

[coquelicoq]

i've gotten so used to my daily practice of reading french aloud that now when i have to read something boring in english for work i default to reading it aloud. which takes way longer and also i feel like i retain even less information than i would otherwise, somehow. the upside is that my oral reading cadence in english, even of dense scientific articles, is rather excellent nowadays. i could read scientific articles out loud for a living, if that was a thing people needed me to do. which they do not, because screenreaders are a thing. maybe i could read crusty PDFs out loud for a living? but anyway all this is to say shoutout to my man alexandre dumas and also my other man victor hugo for training me to read run-on sentences in my second language. after that, dry journal articles in my first language are easy peasy.

#this practice is giving me some insights that are relevant to my actual job though #i mean we already knew this but. try reading your sentences out loud. can someone understand them without seeing them? #if not...your sentence may be too complex and may need to be broken up into multiple sentences. #my clients have to write complicated shit in a readable manner and one of my coworkers had this whole #initiative for a while just trying to get them to write shorter sentences. but they completely ignored him lol #reading out loud also helps you catch typos. i caught so many in this published journal article just now (embarrassing for them) #i probably would have caught most of them if i had read it silently but you never know #it's really interesting to me that i think this skill of parsing syntax on the fly to modulate sentence-level prosody in french #seems to transfer to english. i mean that i've been practicing reading french aloud and it seems to have made me better at #reading english aloud too even though french and english have different syntax and punctuation conventions. #so that's convenient #french #syntax #prosody #my posts #i cannot believe i STARTED this daily practice with the count of fucking monte-cristo. way to start on hard mode. jesus #and then followed it up with les misérables of all things. am i a masochist?? #don't answer that.

[bonefall]

I just..like the Snowbird anon wrote in the lawyer Mapleshade thing: just because Moth Flight couldn't handle raising her kits and doing her duty doesn't mean the others would be the same. I agree (can't believe im agreeing with Snowbird anon) that her losing her cool and yelling at Acorn Fur definitely had repercussions. I wouldn't doubt it led to Goose and Blue thinking Blue couldn't be deputy if she kept her kits. Moth Flight just sucks. I hate how she treats Leafpool, too. She's just an awful person who really shouldn't have been put in power and make laws regarding important positions while being that young. She was only like, what 8 months when she had her kits? Like she was young and dumb.

What I hate most about Moth Flight is that it isn't even true that she wasn't able to raise her kits.

All through her SE, she refuses help because she thinks "Only I can love them properly! My children are SPECIAL!" and extends this almost venomous spite towards other women around her. Then, after showing Moth Flight being unreasonable all book long, we get the completely insulting moment where StarClan and Moth Flight condescend Acorn Fur for like 5 pages

And then we got to see her mistreat Leafpool in that absolutely bullshit StarClan trial, "I made that rule so that you'd never suffer the pain I did! AND YOU BROKE IT YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE WENCH! YOU WILL SUFFER FOR BREAKING MY RULE!! HELL FOR YOU!!!"

Sincerely! What the fuck! The RULE ITSELF causes suffering in giving up kits and going through harrowing trials, when the suffering that Moth Flight wouldn't have had to go through in the first place if she wasn't such a nasty little git!

And the scene where she gives away her children really sums up everything about Moth Flight and her SE that makes me absolutely detest her;

She's giving up her kits, and it's traumatic for these poor children being separated. They rightfully start screaming and crying in protest (if you've seen the Moonkitti video, this is what she mentions), shooting down her complete lie that this is how it 'has' to be, and then? Right after? It's suddenly fine lmao.

She even looks at Spider Paw, the kid who almost drowned, and says, "and you're going to RiverClan :) theyll teach you to swim there :)" AND HE'S FINE WITH THIS. HE'S LIKE "water scary" "No It's Fine :)" "Ok mom i guess so :)"

ZERO BRAIN CELLS. MYOTRAGUS LEVEL WRITING.

#Moth Flight #Warrior cats #Warrior cats analysis #There is NO OTHER character that makers me blood boil quite like Moth Flight #For other characters I feel like it's a waste of potential you know? #Or there's something interesting and insightful buried under there #Or with some I just think they'd be stronger in another arc or conflict #With Moth Flight? She reminds me of like #A powerful woman who uses her station to push other women down #And don't even get me started on how she's used as `Representation` #Her ADHD VANISHES in the first part of her BOOK #GONE COMPLETELY #AWFUL AWFUL CHARACTER #ACORN FUR DESERVES BETTER #AUFGHGHRGH #BITES YOU BITES YOU BITES YOU