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possamble · 13 days

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What are your headcanons about Marcille's mom if you have any? It's interesting that what drew Donato to her was cause she lived the history he studied, or that was said somewhere at least. She must've had an interesting life.

so this was going to be just a normal answer but then I realized I have a Lot of Things To Say. so here goes, a compilation of what we know for a fact from the canon, what I've extrapolated from the visual cues and details, and my theories based on all of that.

Things we know for a fact about Marcille's mother because they were explicitly stated in the manga and supplemental materials:

She was a court mage for a Tall-man kingdom at the southern part of the Northern Continent

Donato, a court historian, fell in love with her because she had lived through the history he was studying, and he courted her for 17 years (age 15 to 32) before getting married

She was a cheerful person who rarely showed extreme emotion and took things as they came

She always cooked a huge meal for Marcille on her birthdays

She remarried a gnome after Donato's death and a short distance away from Marcille's childhood home

Pipi, Marcille's pet bird, was actually older than Marcille and originally belonged to her mother (bird died at 62)

She was extremely heartbroken when Donato died and ultimately ended up instilling a deep fear of mortality in Marcille with her words

the only time she showed extreme emotion in front of her family was when Donato could no longer eat his favourite dish near the end of his life.

She scolded Marcille for being cruel to ants (implying she can have a stern side when needed)

Things that are explicitly shown but mostly through visual cues

She has a very distinctive style of dress always involving a ribbon choker (mirroring Marcille's habit of always wearing a matching choker with any of her outfits that don't cover her neck)

She was almost stereotypically good at housekeeping and traditionally "wifely" things (very frequently depicted wearing an apron or doing some domestic chore when not at work, seems to have been an avid cook).

She knits? (also, note the affectionate smile as she's looking at Donato and Marcille reading a book together in the full panel)

She was as excited for Marcille's milestones as Donato was.

She didn't tell Marcille much about elven food

(there are a couple things that this panel in particular implies:

She lived a good deal of her life (if not being born and raised) in a mainly elven country in the West, implied by her knowing enough of an elven region's cuisine to prefer Tall-man food over it

seems to have a pretty carefree and casual demeanour overall, if this is how she replied to Marcille asking her about it (sounds like she never gave her culinary preferences that much thought to begin with)

slightly related to number 2, it seems like she and Marcille had a fairly casual parent-child dynamic (especially in comparison to the Toudens' memory of their father)

(local elf tastes Italian food once and never goes back))

However, she seems a lot more... serious in most of the other times we see her? Almost like the very stereotypical archetype of a graceful elf.

Subsequent conclusions about her personality:

Usually pretty carefree and cheerful at home, has been a loving and attentive parent throughout Marcille's childhood (while not being so doting that she didn't discipline Marcille).

Slightly more conjectural theories on her personality:

Had a much more graceful and professional personality at work, which would explain the more serious portraits we see of her.

Given that both she and Donato had positions at the royal court, it seems a little odd that she'd go out of her way to do all the housework herself, so maybe she just enjoyed doing it?

Now taping all the evidence together and toeing the line between analysis and fanfiction:

It's clear that she loved Donato very much and was utterly devastated by losing him. But there's one thing that really stuck out to me in what little we see of her:

Doesn't she seem... angry? The way she's gritting her teeth, clutching the tablecloth, and how this is the first and only time we see her eyes opened that wide. In the following panel, you see her being quiet and dejected after her initial outburst. She's still crying very intensely, but her brows are furrowed, and she's not really responding to Donato's affection in her body language.

We're not told the details of how she felt about losing Donato other than that it upset her. But this, to me, implies that she was angry and resented that he was aging, that the end of his life was approaching. An "it's not fair" type of preemptive grief. And if this was the first and last time she cried like this in front of her family, she was either very good at coping in private... or very bad at letting herself feel unpleasant emotions until they become unavoidable and end up overwhelming her.

It's not too remarkable a detail on the surface. It's even reminiscent of what the audience has seen of Marcille. But... when it comes to the big picture, you'd think an elf who voluntarily chose to marry a tall-man and have a half-elf child would have been better prepared for this.

It kind of recontextualizes her cheerfulness to me.

"I'm sure everything's gonna be okay!" (or some variation thereof, depending on what translation you have).

And this is stated to contrast her extreme grief when finally confronting Donato's failing body and eventual death. But I'm wondering if... maybe this optimism was why she was so upset. What if she went into all of it thinking "everything's gonna be okay"? What if she was a little young by elven standards, and just followed her heart thinking that her own resilience would get her through anything?

Of course, only to get completely overwhelmed when she actually loses Donato. She turns into a completely different person. And that's heartbreaking on its own-- but what the audience sees is the effect it had on Marcille. Can you imagine being her, watching your invincible and upbeat mother suddenly lose all the light in her eyes in one go?

I've already made a huge post about how I think Marcille models her "work persona" off her mother, but another thing that stuck with me as I was looking for more details in the manga was this:

copy pasting from the other post i made about it lmao it's like... the second she resigns herself to lifelong pain and terror, there's another portrait of her mother facing her like this. with their heads bowed, in mirrored body language of resignation and despair and sorrow. Except it's posed like Marcille is still looking at her mother but her mother is looking away.

It took me a second to realize, but I think that it's a visual metaphor for the fact that Marcille's mother was the only long-lived role model she had-- and she failed to model healthy grief for her daughter. I don't say this as an accusation or to disparage her as a character, but just as a matter of fact. In her, Marcille was seeing herself older and losing a short-lived spouse or loved one of her own, and all she saw was hopelessness.

But her mother didn't mean to instill hopelessness and terror in her. She wasn't really thinking of how it would truly affect Marcille at all (at least, that's how I'm interpreting her looking down and away from Marcille in the metaphor), she was just sad. And she, in her own way, was trying to protect her daughter and help her prepare for future losses.

What she meant was "loss is inevitable, and you have to learn how to be in pain but live on anyway." What Marcille heard was "loss is inevitable, and you will be scared and hurt for the rest of your life."

Again. Marcille's mother doesn't feature explicitly in the story the way her father does -- but in so many ways, her shadow, her silhouette, her reflection is always hanging over Marcille.

All that to say... headcanon-wise (everything from here on is 100% without evidence lmao), I'd like to think that she matured and realized that she failed Marcille. I imagine her being regretful about it, wanting a chance to fix it but never finding a way to insert herself back into Marcille's life when Marcille is so so so busy becoming the most accomplished mage possible. I imagine her being herself again, now, so many years after her loss and after remarrying -- but with her cheerfulness tempered with a lot more wisdom and the pain of having gone through loss like that. I think the second Marcille actually tells her what happened in the dungeon, she'd want to go running to her daughter again -- if Marcille tells her the full truth instead of just being embarrassed she let things get that far. (oh, the tragedy of her wanting to be more like her mother and an accomplished adult who doesn't need to be babied... being embarrassed to actually tell her mother how much she fucked up...)

There's also the tension of her having remarried -- I know that there's at least a little bit of resentment that Marcille harbours about that, because she's childish like that at heart even if she makes an effort not to externalize it. I think that her mother would be aware of that, potentially adding to her sense of guilt and apprehension at trying to reappear/intrude on Marcille's life. I honestly don't think Marcille has met her stepfather -- or even considers him a stepfather rather than "mama's new husband" and kind of a total stranger. I think she and her mother actively don't talk about it in their correspondence, like an elephant in the room.

but, ultimately, I think her mother is on her side no matter what. Ancient magic? Dark necromancy? Sure, she'll feel guilty and like she was partially responsible for setting Marcille down such a painful path, but she wouldn't care. that's her daughter!! she would've moved back west and been petitioning for her at the court, buying a house right next to the Canaries barracks and visiting her every day that she wasn't on a mission. And if her husband had opinions on Marcille becoming a "dark arts user," he either gets over it or it's divorce with him. Yes, she might have had her optimism completely humbled by losing Donato like that -- but she's still headstrong and self-assured and she doesn't care what people think of her. It's her way or the highway and she's always going to be in Marcille's corner.

(She also needs a name lol. I went with Juno, just to be cute about "Marcille"s closest real life equivalent being Marcella, which is the female version of Marcellus, which in turn is a diminutive of Marcus, which was derived from Mars. Absolutely in love with Marcille potentially being named after Ares/Mars the fucking god of war btw)

#asks #she could easily be interpreted as distant or neglectful after Donato's death too #with how little involvement she has in Marcille's life/the fact that Marcille doesn't even mention her when talking about her life prospect #and that's fair! I will argue to hell and back that she was a loving parent when Donato was alive #but there's nothing that suggests she remained a loving parent afterwards #I just think that like... parental relationships are so complicated in dungeon meshi #you cannot deny that the toudens' mother loved them dearly but that she failed them both miserably as a parent #and i think it'd be more compelling if Marcille's mother was a little like that too #not a totally and easily dismissable deadbeat #but someone who truly loves her daughter but was only human herself and couldn't be what Marcille needed at a crucial moment #and regrets it deeply #and that the distance between them is mutually self-imposed by complicated feelings of guilt and fear #and a little resentment from Marcille's side that she hasn't really properly processed #I don't know if I'll ever get around to writing it but i had this idea where Marcille does finally spill the beans to her mom and she just #immediately arrives in Melini #and its awkward for a bit but they do finally have a heart to heart and air it all out #and marcille starts freaking out that her marriage is rocky rn bc her new husband wants her to distance herself from marcille #on account of the crimes and all #marcille's like no you can't blow up your marriage for me and her mother just shuts that shit down #'you didn't choose to be born. i was the one who made that choice for you'#'i brought you into this world and i'll be damned if i don't take responsibility for that the entire way'#'you are entitled to *nothing less* than my unconditional love.'#and obviously that's not a sentiment that's exactly healthy as a universal statement about parenthood #but i think its what her mother would believe and what marcille needs to hear #and dungeon meshi does such a fantastic job at just... letting imperfect things just *be* without having to justify it immediately #it expects the audience to do their own critical thinking #and know that its not trying to make sweeping universal statements in every instance #marcilleposting #marcille donato

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dumping-ideas · 7 months

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After many many months stepping away from proseka jp, I finally caught up to the end of WxS arc 2 just in time before WxS new visual release.

Our Happy Ending gives me everything I want from a WxS event story. There are so many callbacks to the main story and previous events and it was perfect as an arc ender.

Moreover, the fact that the arc 1 ender is Tsukasa banner and the arc 2 ender is Emu banner is just very very delightful. After all, WxS won't even exist without their meeting. AND THIS EVENT IS THE LAST ARC ENDER FOR ALL THE GROUPS Y'ALL I'M VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT THIS!!! AND MIKU WXS IS THE ONE WHO MEET THE OG MIKU IN THE VS MIXED BANNER TOO!!!!

God do I love everything about this event story

WxS going the MMJ route by going freelance, heck yeah. I was curious about how they would manage their fundings and other technical parts of being a freelance but I guess if MMJ can do it so can Rui somehow. He probably already had a rough idea on what WxS should do to be independent from PWL.

I also like how the Otori Brothers being very upfront about the negatives of them letting WxS go, and even so they still agreed to work it out with the management and other staffs. Ugh, they really became WxS strongest supporters... We've come a long way since Rui told them they don't have any dreams all the way back in Smile of Dreamer (　；∀；)

Also, the fact that Rui and Nene tried to convince Emu to be with them while Tsukasa couldn't even say anything is just a straight punch to my gut. All the way back from Island Panic, I noticed Tsukasa never said anything about what he wanted for others. He always said he wanted to perform in more places but somehow avoided thinking about leaving WxS. It's like the thought is there in the back of his mind but he never said anything on his mind? Idk he was always quietly thinking before spouting encouraging words whenever WxS disbandment came up. Even at this part I was like, "Tsukasa, say something whether you support Emu or Rui and Nene!! You're the chairman!!" but the next Tsukasa scene gave me a two-hit combo.

"There's nothing we can do."

"........Parting with a smile.......is really difficult."

I HATED IT HERE

Tsukasa was always positive, and his whole schtick is that he's an arrogant king, y'know? Of course he's actually considerate of others underneath all his ego, but he never hesitated to speak his mind. But here he just... Gave up. Because he wanted to cherish Emu's resolve to protect PWL and Wonder Stage, even if he finds it difficult to do. Unlike Rui and Nene, he didn't want to push Emu to be with them because I think he understood how much Emu loved her grandfather the most. Just like Saki is a big part of his dream, so is Emu's grandpa to Emu's dream. He didn't find any words to convince Emu because he painfully understood her feelings.

And the way Hirose say the nothing we can do line gives me the impression that those words aren't unfamiliar to Tsukasa too (TдT)

ALSO WHY DO THEY MAKE EMU CRY SO MUCH!!!! I DON'T WANT EMU TO BE SAD!!!

It's very painful to see Emu struggling to let WxS go, they don't need to rub it in....... And it makes me sad how Emu can even fake her cheerful klutziness to make everyone smile with none the wiser. Emu is too kind......

In the end, she did find her resolve to stay at Wonder Stage thanks to the memories of her grandfather, and her resolve to say farewell with a smile got event stronger after the remake play of the "The Story of the Wandering Troupe" that the WxS VS performed.

Off-topic a little bit, I love how they use the play that bonded WxS together in the main story to be the last play they performed as Wonder Stage cast members. Plus, the end of the play that the VS modified to cheer up Emu and the rest is something that I've read in pixiv a lot. Well... A lot is kinda exagerating a little bit, but the number of "WxS disbanded to gain more experience but they came back to be WxS again (sometimes)" fics is not little.

And tbh that's the most "realistic" outcome of the scenario. Parting is inevitable if they wanted to grow--to be better--to chase each other dreams. But the VS told them that even if they part, they could create their happy ending again. It may took a long time, but it could be there if they all have the same wish to be together. The story didn't have to end with a farewell, but a reunion.

But of course a sad thing is a sad thing. Even if they all got back together in the end, how many years would it take? How many memories they could create together but missed because they were on their own paths? Emu's head might understood that this might not be WxS definite end, but her heart knew that it would be a lonely and painful waiting game, and there was still a possibility that it would just... End.

Once again, Emu cried by her lonesome just like in Smile of Dreamer, and once again WxS reached out to her.

At first, Tsukasa, Rui, and Nene didn't know what to do to ease Emu's sadness because unlike Smile of Dreamer, this time it was because of them. But just like Nene said, at least Emu shouldn't hide her tears from them. I think it's something that Nene had said to Emu in Smile of Dreamer too, but I'm glad that she reiterated that again because Emu clearly needed to hear it right now.

Of course Emu's wish to be able to send them off with a smile is very admirable and understandable. Heck, Emu herself wanted to do so butbher feelings kept getting stuck on feeling lonely and sad.

And this is where Tsukasa finally stepped up and finally voiced his own feelings of their parting.

Because Tsukasa also felt the painfulness of having to go their own separate ways.

All this time, I as a reader never understand exactly what Tsukasa was feeling about WxS disbandment. In Panic Island, he was listening to Nene silently before agreeing with her--they might part in the future to chase their dreams and it might be lonely but they should be able to do it with no regret. In Curtain Call, he told Rui that he wanted to gain more experience but hinting that he would stay because he had his responsibilities as WxS chairman. In Lion Robot, he asked for more opportunities to perform in other stages to Emu's brothers because he couldn't leave Wonder Stage. In Middle of a Dream, he participated in a workshop by himself and performed without WxS by his side. Mr. Showtime from the Phoenix event has the lyrics "it's not over yet / I don't want it to end / but still, someday / until that day (the closing time) arrives".

Just by those alone, there were more hints that he wanted to go farther than Wonder Stage and perform with other people besides WxS. But he never said anything of his own feelings if they have to disband in the future. In Panic Island, he encouraged everyone to look forward but it felt like he reaffirmed Nene's stance rather than his own feelinvs. In the following event stories, he was running towards his own dream so fast that Otori Brothers and Rui knew they had to do something so Tsukasa wouldn't leave them (though Tsukasa's impatience already reared its head in Pop in My Heart).

Tbh I thought Tsukasa might feel lonely, but because it's something that "he couldn't do anything about" he would just look away. And it's not like he's unfamiliar with going solo, he's been taking part-times and doing workshops without WxS. Out of everyone, I thought Tsukasa would be able to leave WxS with a smile as long as he believed that Rui, Nene, and Emu would be just fine.

I only got a fourth of it right.

I knew he might felt lonely, but I didn't realize how much it hurt Tsukasa.

After all, even if Nene, Rui, and Emu were okay with it, Tsukasa said it himself---that parting is sad, and it's also painful for him even to the point of tears.

Isn't this the first time Tsukasa said how much something hurts him to WxS? Not even in Dazzling Stage where he had to dug into his lonely memories and in Phoenix where he had to embrace his feelings of helplessness.

Sure, he had to start it with him saying all that as a future star and WxS leader, but it's progress. Heck, from the voice acting and the long pause before he said it's painful, it's obvious that it was hard for Tsukasa to say it. Whether it meant that it's painful to voice it out loud in general or particularly in front of WxS is up in the air, but by letting them see his own weakness Tsukasa affirmed Emu's feelings that it's okay to cry. That it's fine for Emu to feel sad and lonely because they would be separated. He let down his walls to help Emu--because it was thanks to her that Tsukasa could be the person he was now.

And then Otori Brothers appeared and finally take action as adults.

The one thing I love from prsk is how adults have active roles in most of the stories. Look at how they show the influence adults have over their children in Niigo, the effect of legacy and community for youth in VBS, and I'm sure now that MMJ and Leoni are going pro they would meet adults who would influence them as well. Prsk never shy away from the fact that their characters are still high schoolers--they still need guidance and protection from the adults around them.

And this time Keisuke and Shosuke stepped up by promising Emu that they would protect Wonder Stage and PWL, so Emu could spread her wings and gain experience from other places. LIKE HERE IS THE "BAD GUYS" IN THE MAIN STORY AND ARC 1 AND NOW PROTECTING WONDER STAGE AND PWL IS THEIR DREAMS AS WELL゜・．（ｉДｉ）｡：ﾟKEISUKE AND SHOSUKE HAVE COME A LONG WAY!!!

I'm glad that they agree with me that it's just sad that if only Emu was left behind and so they made it possible for Emu to leave Wonder Stage if she wanted to... And she did.

And now Tsukasa was able to say to Emu, who had her own dream, that he wanted Emu to come with them just as himself.

The last chapter tied the ribbon neatly by having Sakurako appeared in the next rendition of "The Story of the Wandering Troupe", declaring that she would protect the village while the clown was on a journey with her troupe. Because everyone in PWL wanted WxS to have Wonder Stage as a place to return to, they promised Emu that they would protect it--because WxS protected the PWL they love back in Wonder Magical Showtime.

All in all, I'm right that there's no way that they would disband WxS, but more than that I'm satisfied that they affirmed everyone's feelings. They didn't brush off the pain and loneliness of parting, and WxS did have a crying fest because they all finally acknowledge it. But the best part is that Otori Brothers acted as adults and protected WxS hearts. People might say that it's bordering deus ex machina but we know they've been doing a lot of things so WxS can stay together, just like Rui. They probably wanted a more "realistic" conclusion, but I think the adults being responsible and taking care of the younger ones is realistic enough.

All in all, my happy ending is a perfect conclusion for WxS before their world expands.

#pjsekai #project sekai #hatsune miku colorful stage #proseka #wonderlands x showtime #Ngl i cried when emu cried in the kigurumi and keep crying until otori brothers arrived #Also meiko(?) card story that hints that luka hasn't fallen asleep all over the place until emu agrees to leave with WxS?#Tsukasa probs more troubled over it than he might seem lol #Also there's something about tsukasa's 2* card which I didn't know if people realize #Gonna make a separate post though #random gacha game post

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