i don't really like when people say dungeon meshi is accidentally good autistic representation, because while i understand not wanting to make conclusions without explicit confirmation from the author, there's always the weird assumption that non-western authors somehow don't know about things like neurodivergency/queerness/etc. (on top of the assumptions that east asian authors are somehow more naive or oblivious to "western" social issues).
given that dungeon meshi started being published in 2014, it's not really a "work belonging to its times"—it's as contemporary as any other media we discuss on this site, which means it should be fair to assume it engages with contemporary topics (and at the very least, you shouldn't say that the representation is accidental with so much confidence)
but anyways, the chapter "perfect communication" in ryoko kui's "terrarium in a drawer" is some of the most straightforward autistic representation I've seen, and from now on I'm going to assume that laios's character writing is absolutely intentional in that regard:
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kinda a follow up from my earlier post but i think a very key bdubs trait is that he will believe in just about anything if he cares enough and when i say believe i mean commit so wholly that he will sacrifice his firstborn for it. so i do think it's funny to imagine him as a pinterest type girlie who is REALLY into astrology and knows everyones moon and rising signs and collects healing crystals and is generally insane. i think he would line up that one time he went missing in the jungle with his star chart and be like ohhh cuz venus was in retrograde i went crazy LOL that explains so much and nobody is willing to challenge him on it because its not worth the effort
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part 2!!!! [read part one here]
transcript below the cut arranged into stanzas to help show where the rhymes are:
“that’s why they brought gem in? as a failsafe?” as a pawn.
we were told to point her at whoever we need gone
“gem won’t hurt her allies. …yet.” the curse she carries will
it’s had its eye on her since she lost the other eye
she was specially selected for her hunting skill
it’s quite the high honor. “wow. how generous.” we try
think about it: why does almost no one fight the curse?
“given how fast scott killed skizz last season, i can guess.”
[“any pain you spare your friends, you’ll have to suffer worse”?]
it’s designed to shut down higher reasoning with stress
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Idk how to explain it, but seeing Voice of the Hunted going from fearing the Princess to wanting to help after seeing her really hits hard. He spent the whole Beast and most of The Den chapter desperately trying to prevent you from being eaten or killed by her
But when he sees what she's become, he feels sympathy for her. Despite his previous fear, he wants to help her instead
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Mascarille when she impulsively follows me outside not realising there are 3 whole centimetres of snow on the ground
it's fine it's snow! you are familiar with snow
go home then. you are five steps away from the door.
it's not Napoleon's retreat from Russia it's literally just five—
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