big spoilers for the end of dungeon meshi but that last post got me thinking about how for all the reasons we can call dungeon meshi's finale a happy ending, to be honest, in my heart it feels quite sad and almost tragic for laios
in particular i felt very stricken with this feeling when we got the post-story manga page where everyone is asking what, exactly, his greatest desire was. and after they drag it out of him, when he's clearly reluctant and nervous to share, laios tells them he wanted to be eaten by monsters. and the reaction to this is everyone all hastily leaving the room looking vaguely disturbed/disgusted/exasperated with him.
and dude honestly it pissed me off!!! because what the fuck is YOUR problem that you have to look down on how someone would prefer having their body handled after their death. having your ashes spread in nature or incorporated into something like a reef isn't even unusual or weird in real life, people do that! and the worst part is that laios will NEVER get even that, since he and his body are cursed to repel monsters (and please notice that even as he is explaining his desire and lamenting the fact it'll never happen, he immediately moves onto thinking about how this can still benefit others/the kingdom rather than dwell on what he cant have)
honestly i thought it was a super sweet and thoughtful method, because to me it was about laios wanting to become part of the greater cycle of life and to give back to the things that helped him survive in the dungeon, that he consumed. he wanted to become part of nature; he wanted to be a part of the ecosystem, consumed and propagated, forever, in a world he loves. the idea of him getting placed in a cold tomb forever preserved in the middle of an enormous kingdom surrounded by people who will never ever understand him or his legacy makes me fucking SAD dude!!
i guess it's just my frustration with laios' feelings frequently being relegated to a punchline. but idk maybe that's the point, it only ever highlights just how much of an outcast he is, even amongst trusted friends and allies, no one will ever truly understand him and he'll never.......... ;lakjs;dlfkj im gonna make myself fucking cry thinking about this AAAAAA be nice to him!!!!!! TT0TT
