#oh my god someone fucking shoot me with a tranq dart PLEASE

[tofixtheshadows]

hi!! so there are a lot of improbabilities that make this hypothetical unlikely but: if kabru had met toshiro first & recruited him (toshiro being so passive + not with a clear goal would have helped there & kabru is ptsd-driven but very noble in his goals which can be explained) AND they got all the way down to the bottom (idk if i believe in them...but hypothetically!) would the winged lion find either of them to be a good target for next dungeon lord? one over the other? im thinking kabru has the intensity and complexity of desire necessary but i can't imagine what it would look like if he became lord of the dungeon. do you have any thoughts?

Good morning. This is a very fun thought experiment!

(side note: I got a second anon this morning with a very similar request? not sure if related. I'm gonna let this answer speak for both of them)

Toshiro sure would have had a different time of it if Kabru had gotten to him first, huh? On the one hand, Toshiro seems to like Kabru; I think it's sweet that Kabru seems to gravitate towards hanging out with him when he isn't with the rest of the main cast. So they probably would've been good in a party together.

On the other hand, Toshiro never would have met Falin and fallen in love with her. Even if she didn't reciprocate in the end, I don't think he regrets anything that happened. Even his difficult friendship with Laios was ultimately positive (for both of them!).

They definitely would not have made it to the deeper floors, I think Senshi is crucial to achieving that ... but this is a hypothetical.

I'm puzzling over the question of Toshiro, because he is a secondary character and there's only so much we know about his motivations. His big one in canon is to save Falin, even if it means all he can do is put her to rest. Without that, without her, what sort of desires does he have?

Toshiro originally came to the Island because of a demand from his father: for one of his three sons to find "something interesting" enough on their travels to bring back home that would convince their capricious bastard father to make them his heir over the others. So they're all off on their separate training journeys with their respective retainers with the added caveat that they can't return without something to impress their father. It's implied that after falling in love with Falin, Toshiro had wanted to bring back home a wife.

Since he's said to inherit the family after he returns home without her anyway, I've been assuming that the "thing" Toshiro ended up bringing to Toshitsugu Nakamoto was the story of the dungeon, the demon, and his friend Laios, king of a risen country and Devourer of All Things Horrible.

Anyway, the things we know about Toshiro's home life are kind of fucked. It's amazing he turned out to be so nice. He's always been a shy, sensitive person, and he was sickly as a child; Maizuru cared for him despite her spymaster duties and ended up filling a motherly role for him, even though Toshiro's mother is still alive. Historically, it wasn't uncommon for noble children to be raised more closely by their governesses/household retainers than their parents, so perhaps something similar was happening here (disclaimer that I don't know much about feudal Japan specifically).

We know that Maizuru loves Toshiro and dotes on him, but she's also very strict and frankly terrifying; she used the same Hag summon that she was monitoring Izutsumi with on Toshiro as a child just to keep him from wandering off. We also know that when he found out that Maizuru was having an affair with his father, it put a distance between them. Whether this is because he felt betrayed on his mother's behalf or because he dislikes his father that much, or something else, is unclear.

Toshiro was childhood friends with Hien, but as they got older, she had to take his place as one of his retainers, which seems to have severed that closeness. Canonically, he isn't close to his two younger brothers either. Toshitsugu literally bought Inutade and Izustumi (the latter as a drunken "gift" for Maizuru!). We see that Toshiro is uncomfortable with this, but doesn't know how to approach the issue. He lets Izutsumi go the second she's out of sight for five minutes, which implies to me that he really wanted the excuse to do so. Inutade is harder, because she loves being with the Nakamoto family and hero-worships Toshiro's father.

...all this to say, Toshiro has complicated relationships with his family and household. There's love there, but also a lot of coldness enforced by the upper-class need for propriety. Toshiro falls in line and acts as the proper stoic samurai, but he chafes at this; he envies Laios's gift for feeling and expressing things openly and readily. I think that's what the Winged Lion would prey on, given the chance.

I don't think he would be prime dungeon lord material, but if it came to that, I could see the Lion tempting Toshiro with a kinder vision of his life, one where he and his little brothers weren't pitted against one another, where his family was warmer, where there weren't barriers of class between him and his retainers, where he was allowed to be more himself.

Now ... Kabru.

Kabru is interesting because, since his ultimate goal is to seal the dungeon and eradicate monsters, I imagine that meeting a demon would be like a guy who's given a genie and wants to wish for no more genies. And if said genie is trying to take over the world via wishes, the genie is a bit screwed. I really think that Kabru is the character who would stump the demon(s) the most, despite his complex desires, because they are antithetical to the demon. Laios also had complex desires, but the Winged Lion lured him and set him up as the hero of a fake prophecy because a lot of Laios's desires revolved around monsters, so his wants aligned perfectly with the demon's methods. Oh you want monsters? That's great, they're the things I use to solve most of my problems anyway.

Even in the absence of prior knowledge of demons, I think Kabru's back would be up as soon as the Winged Lion tried speaking to him. Kabru's insight is almost preternatural, and he's well-versed in persuasive speaking thanks to his own silver tongue. He would mistrust the Lion immediately, especially considering its monster-like form.

Giving the demons bestial appearances is an artistic choice on Kui's part, so I don't think there's any indication that the Winged Lion & co can't look human, but the Lion might have been constrained both by Thistle's seals on it and the need to maintain the lie that it's just the innocent guardian deity of the Golden Country. If it could, I think it would try to look less monstrous, with Kabru.

Still, the point of the demons, I see, is that anyone can be tempted, anyone can be manipulated, because we are all full of buried desires that can be unearthed, and wanting things and having to defend them make you susceptible to manipulation.

Consider what Mithrun told Kabru: they keep the knowledge of demons secret because knowing the truth would not stop people from trying to have their wishes granted. After all, Mithrun was a Canary, but he fell for its temptation anyway. I've seen people characterize this as a sort of rock bottom decision, and maybe that's true, but I also pin it on his toxic inferiority/superiority complex. That's exactly the kind of thing that makes you think you're built different.

Would Marcille have stopped before unsealing the Winged Lion if Mithrun(/Kabru) had actually gotten to sit down with her for five minutes and explain why becoming dungeon lord would be a very bad idea? Maybe. Or maybe her desperation, and her own pride, would have made her decide that she knew better, that she'd be careful, that she'd go in with a plan and definitely get what she wanted with no dire consequences.

I think Kabru could be desperate enough to make a similar decision, even if his desires were antithetical to the demon. And the demons have an advantage over the aforementioned genie simile: their ability to eat desires.

If the Winged Lion were smart, it wouldn't let Kabru seal it away like Thistle. Given the opportunity, its best chance for dealing with Kabru would have been to immediately eat his desire to stop another Utaya.

I'm gonna plug this wonderful and tragic little one-shot someone wrote recently about the dungeon lord Kabru hypothetical: This place is not a place of honor.

#oh my god someone fucking shoot me with a tranq dart PLEASE #Dungeon Meshi spoilers #dungeonposting #musings with Dea #I hope someone writes a hypothetical party comp switch AU fic one day #like Laios's own AU of getting eaten in Falin's stead #and Falin going in to rescue him ... but what if Marcille came with her? and Toshiro? and they met Senshi? #or an idea I've mentioned before: Laios and Kabru would be an excellent tank/DPS combo #Kabru's party is really cohesive and good at fighting! they just don't have monster knowledge #if Laios were there to point Kabru's blades in the right direction he'd be absolutely lethal #anyway. hope this scratched that itch a bit! #sorry I didn't include more visual aids here I'm struggling today #Dea answers #Dea's anonymous friends

[myunknownalpaca-blog]

I’ll always take care of you.

Garcia POV “People we got pling!”

 JJ walks into the little office. 

“What pling?”

“You know the come-check-on-us-pling!” 

“Oh. Text Aaron, I'll take Rossi and go there!”

“okay okay just make sure my chocolate thunder and my kiddo are okay!” JJ walks out, calling Rossi and getting into the car.

MORGAN POV Where am I. Why can't I feel my feet. Morgan tries to move but his hands are tied behind his back. He feels around.

A hand! Wait where is Reid?

“KIDDO! REID! YOU HEAR ME?” there is no direct answer but he feels movement behind him.

“yes..?” a soft sound comes from Reid’s lips.

 “are you okay?” there is pain in his voice.

“ yeah I'm good just a bit tired. You fell upon me. You're damn heavy you know!” Morgans can't help but crack a smile. Thank god he still got his jokes. 

“What happened? I only remember us kissing against the door outside.” Best part, if you ask me. 

“Well, you know why we were kissing?”

“ Yeah there was someone staring at us. So you decided to give a little show.” Reid smiles, 

“That's true, you kissed me and lifted me from the floor. And we stumbled into the house. Our house. On our way to the bedroom, for some time together.” 

“Yeah, I recall that but not so clear. What came next?”

“I pushed you on the bed. Taking the control for a change. But I guess you wanted that too, so we changed position. But then there was that man again. And before I could say anything he shot something at you and you fell upon me. I couldn't get you off. And before I knew I fell asleep.”

“uhm, weird. But where are we now? I really don't know.“ Morgan tries to move so he can take Reid's hand into his. He then whispers: “Whatever happens, I'll try to take care of my pretty boy.”

Then there is a sound. Both Morgan and Reid try to look up. Morgan sees a man. “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US!” I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT YOU BITCH.’ BUT THIS SHOULD BE SPECIAL. NOT FORCED.

“Hello. Welcome to my home. I hope you slept well.” The sound of his voice was deep and dark, almost no emotion in it.

“We just want to get out. Please tell us what you want!”

“I think it’s too early for that. What I desire that I can tell you. I desire love, but I'm incapable of that.” And with that, he walks to Morgan and Reid. 

“I prepared a room for you two.” He then pulls a gun to Reid’s head.

“I wouldn't try anything or I'll shoot your lover.”

REID POV What the hell is happening? I want to talk about it. But I got to keep this act up. So does Morgan.Calm down, no time for a panic attack, think of nice things. like what Morgan said, what he said it sounds so sincere, maybe?

 “We will not try anything, would we Derek?” slightly sneezing his hand. Morgan pressing his jaws together to maintain his anger towards this man.

“We won't try anything.”

“Good, let's get you two settled in.” the sound of a chain fills the room. 

“follow it.” Morgan and Reid get up. Facing each other. Morgan can't help but give Reid a kiss on his head. 

Once we get out of here I will tell him how I feel, cause maybe he feels the same about me... There is a little wound there.

“Let's go Derek” And together, chained up, they follow the chain that leads them to another room. The man pointing the gun at their backs following behind them slowly.

“Why aren’t you capable of love?” We need to get into his head. 

“That’s none of your business!” The man almost shouts at Reid.

 “Just walk, and keep doing what I say, that’s your best chance of getting out of here.” 

You don’t know who are looking for us right now. I hope...

The chain brings them to a closed door, one with a little hole in the bottom of the door where the chain goes through. 

“Open it.”

Morgan slowly opens the door, pulling at the chain so they can walk on. There is another door, leading to what looks like a house but with glass everywhere but except for one small space. 

“What the fuck?” Morgan looks at Reid. 

He is thinking what I am, this man is an extreme watcher, like a stalker but then on its own property. He craves power.

“Welcome to your new house.” 

Morgan opens the door, slowly. They both step in the glass house. The door closes behind them.

 “There lays a key to unchain yourself, make yourselves at home, Loverboys.”

And with that, the door is locked and the man is gone. Morgan walks to the key to unchain them. As soon as they're both free, Reid kisses Morgan and holds him tight. 

“Please, don’t let me alone,” 

Morgan puts his arms around Reid pushing a kiss on his messy hair.

“I will never leave you.” 

Morgan pulls Reid even closer to his body. 

“Come, let’s take a look at where we are.” 

Reid nobs, he is still sleepy from whatever that man has given him. Morgan noticed it and pulls Reid in his arm.

“Come let’s find a place where you can sleep.” 

Reid puts his hands around Morgan’s neck, pushing his head against Derek’s chest. 

Okay, but not because you said it. Only because I'm too tired to walk and you have the perfect arms to hold me.

JJ POV “okay, this is their house.” 

“We can’t blow their cover. Let’s act like friends of them, not the FBI” 

JJ and Rossi get out of the car. Slowly walking trough towards the door.

“It is open!” “Okay, you go in front. I’ll take the back!” JJ pushes the door open, 

“Derek?” 

“Reid?” 

Nothing here. This doesn’t look good… 

“Rossi? Any sign of them there?” 

“No JJ, but I found something interesting. It looks like a little arrow.” 

“It looks like a tranq dart. Send it to evidence.” 

“I’ll call it in. Then we can start an investigation.” Rossi takes out his phone making a photo of the dart on the floor. JJ started calling the team. 

“Garcia, tell everybody to come here. They are gone. Both of them.”

“oh god, no no, I’ll send them it now.”

“I want to take a better look.”

 JJ walks to the bedroom. Looks like they were busy getting to the nasty. Maybe they saw the man and tried to make him come inside. Never counting on the tranq dart of course. They were asleep in seconds. But how strong should that man be to carry Morgan out of here. 

“Rossi, I was thinking. This person, he carried Morgan ánd Reid out of here after he shot them with the dart. “ 

“That means he is extremely strong, or he is well prepared.”

“Or, he isn’t alone.”

A car came in the driveway, “That’s Hotch.”

Aaron walks in. He looked quite upset. 

“What happened?” 

“They are shot with a kind of dart, but we only found one.” 

Aaron rubbing his hand through his hair, 

“Get evidence in here. We need to find them.” 

Then he walked back again. 

“JJ, you watch the scene. Rossi, we need to talk to the people here.”

JJ walks back. Let's see, no forced entry which would mean that they left the door open. Concluding that they probably were showing affection to one another outside. Okay, so they went inside and made their way to the bedroom, probably to push that button. So they get here pushed the button. Went back to acting like nothing what up, undressing each other. I can't help but feel happy for Reid that he got this opportunity, although he never said it I can see he is attached to Derek. A knock on the door pulls JJ out of her thoughts. 

“JJ, we need to deliver a profile.” Hotch and Rossi standing in the door.

“Let's get our boys back!”

REID POV

Morgan finds a big bed. Slowly laying Reid down taking of his own shirt so Reid can put it on.  The drugs have a bad effect on him. Not being able to put on the shirt himself, he's too tired.

God this is embarrassing. But I can't help I'm so exhausted. 

Morgan slowly takes Reid's arms and sticks them through the holes of his shirt. Then slowly pulling it down making sure he makes contact with Reid's skin while doing so. 

“Reid? Do you want me to stay with you? Or shall I go outside?” Morgan looks concerned down on Spencer, 

Reid softly answers. “How could I say no to you shirtless, next to me in bed?” Morgan smiles.

 “That's why I took it off, ” he says with a smirk on his face. He pulls the blankets a bit back. Cuddling up to Reid. 

This is perfect, god, even now I feel save. Even if I know we aren't he makes me feel that way. I really do love this man. 

Morgan taking Reid in his arms pushing Reid into his chest keeping him as safe as he can.

Thank you, even if you don't love me the same way, you know what I need now.

“Go to sleep Spenc, I'll make sure he won't touch you.” Pushing a kiss on his head while he feels the body against him relax. 

“I'll always take care of you” Morgan whispers, while Reid is already fast asleep.

#moried #derek morgan #spencer reid #Criminal Minds #just undercover #chapter 2 #more coming soon