#i mean unlike in pmmm this solution is being presented as a flawed one but if the exploration of that ends here itll be disappointing

[readymades2002]

hm okay so marcille’s wish seems to have Two facets to it. there is the thing she says she wants, which is to create opportunities for people that a difference in lifespans can block off, and what her fear drove her towards, which is never having to watch everyone die before her again. we’ve seen what that difference in lifespan means before, how everyone else resents elves for looking at everyone as children with short memories who don’t know what’s best for them, it’s very much an established thing! and the way it’s talked about in this chapter DOES worry me a little bit, like, narratively speaking.

lifespan is...like. it’s different than other axes? the idea of living a thousand years is NIGHTMARISH to me and i think that...that is a heavy weight to give others to carry without their input. i do think that it is, dare i say, Not Good to do that.

but the way it is refuted, and the way lifespan differences are shown to be kind of a social class...thing, it does make me feel a little weird because on the ONE hand literally its very scary yes but on the OTHER is this a metaphor for something and is this refutation a metaphorical response to that something. you know. marcille wanting to eliminate inequalities between lifespans as something that Just Isn’t Good For Everyone or something to that effect. idk the translation including the phrase “racial disparities” DID put me on edge here too, i know in Fantasy World they use Race to mean something more like species which is not uncommon by any means but i still think its a very poor choice of word and keeping the history of fantasy “races” and their...Inspirations in mind makes it worse. i might be reading too much into it but 1) thats what i do and 2) seeing that one GODDAMN kabru shapeshifter joke really REALLY Got Me ugh

for now i am gonna look at it more optimistically though and say that marcille’s motivations simply looking at them as they are are very interesting. i don’t doubt that she wants others to have more opportunities denied to them by their lifespans (though i think the solution of “simply make lifespans longer” instead of “do something about elves holding power” is a short-sighted one. VERY in-character though, that’s not a complaint about that. just thinking as i go) but she is motivated by her own fear. marcille is kind of a selfish person! she is self-centered and a little thoughtless and she’s been through a lot that drives her to soothe the fear created by it. she may be convincing herself of her good intentions, of her care for her friends, but ultimately, she does not want to be alone. i mean who doesn’t but its the kind of thing she is willing to go to questionably ethical lengths to achieve with only her own desires in mind. i think that the birds outside her wizard tower (have you seen the birds. for the record the birds in dunmeshi are simply divine. excellent birds. wonderful birds) point to her motivations well. losing a bird (especially one as long lived as a cockatoo!) affected her deeply. she’s disturbed by the lion conjuring a puppet of her father, but she keeps him around anyway. the temptation is great and the fear of loss powerful! there is marcille who is very put together and knows what to do better than anyone else and who believes in her own accomplishments and abilities enough to stake the world on it, and there is also marcille who is thoughtless and petty and insecure and terrified of being alone and it makes for a very dangerous combination! she’s such a fascinating character!!! i think this is an excellent arc for her

#dungeon meshi spoilers - #dunno if this is coherent. i love media #i REALLY think marcille is a well written character with complex motivations and morals so im hoping HARD that the intention #isnt like. 'well waving a wand and wishing for equality isnt realistic' im phrasing that simplistically but that...viewing of wanting things #to improve. does that make sense? i think that solving the problem by just wishing for everyone to live longer #is...silly. its not a narrative trope i thought i put a lot of thought into because its very unrealistic and i think staking some kind of #Stance on it is silly but turns out i do have thoughts on it and those thoughts are a lot of 'youre missing the problem i think' #i feel the same way about...ugh. okay the thing coming to mind is the ending of pmmm but i DO feel that way! #i dont know how to word it but. in pmmm it felt like the writing of someone who does not take the idea of abolishing a system seriously #which. i mean fucking obviously he wouldnt but im hoping thats not the case here!!!!!!!!!! #i mean unlike in pmmm this solution is being presented as a flawed one but if the exploration of that ends here itll be disappointing #agh i dont have any confidence im saying it right! whatever