#i wanted chimera winged lion laios

[cryptid-writer]

It's agony, his transformation. Bones cracking and shifting and growing as his body becomes too big, splitting open at the seams. It hurts so much he can't make a sound, like having the wind punched out of him, like when Falin punched him with draconian strength that crack-fracture-broke his ribs. Blood drips like tears from his eyes, drips from his nose, from his mouth. The strain too great for a human body to contain but forced to hold up, commanded by something greater than magic, something with greater intent. It is infinite. Who knew infinity could hurt so much, hollowing out a vessel to reshape it. Skin scrapes against the floor, dragging dragging dragging, he isn't even aware he's dragging the danger- himself- away from vulnerable companions. Protect protect protect drums like a deafening subconscious mantra, leaving a ruby trail on pavement stones. Still he drags drags drags, has to get away, has to keep the monsters from Chilchuck and Falin and Marcille. It's a task he doesn't notice, too busy with new nerves forming and setting alight as muscle and skin and fur come in. As he grows new limbs and horns split his skull and claws scrape pavement stones. It hurts hurts hurts, like a rat trapped in a cage covered in hot coals with no escape. A great lumbering body taking shape behind him, with paws that are far greater at dragging him away and gigantic wings too big to unfurl here to fly but he can stretch out, feathers brushing against stone above.

[cairafea]

"How would we go about defeating a demon?"

"Any flesh that has been eaten and digested by other living things loses any of its individual identity. In this dungeon, where the line between life and death has been blurred... that seems to me to be the only clear and obvious rule."

[malewifesband]

as big as the friend confession scene is i love this part best. laios is ofc still under the impression that kabru likes monster food and went thru this big effort to make something special for him and then kabru goes out of his way to be so warm and sweet, and frankly a bit flirtatious like i know he thinks that exit killed it

and hes kinda right bc laios cannot stop staring after him when he leaves and i cannot attribute all that to him being confused about what kabru meant by "dont forget me next time". like laios means it if he says something like "meeting you was the best part of this" those are not empty words even if hes under a false impression about kabru--i dont think its just that kabru shared his interest that has his attention either. i think its bc kabru really engaged with him. i dont think his opinion wouldve changed much if kabru said "nahhhh im good i wont eat a monster cool for you tho have fun" instead of saying he would try it

(and he really is trying the 'laugh at anything he says so he'll feel special' strat here huh.....)

and kabru despite being a stranger he helped get thru to shuro about falins resurrection

and he does it with a sensitivity and care that laios wishes he was capable of and he know it limits him as a leader

the thought laios keeps having about kabru isnt "wow he loves monsters too!" its "wow he is sooooo nice :3" which he is! at this stage he likes kabru bc he feels heard by him and kabru has qualities he knows he lacks but admires greatly and didnt make fun of him or call him weird for his interest in monsters

the way kabru acts and thinks about laios at this point feels allegorical to how people feel in new relationships. can i trust you? are you who you seem? if i tell you how ive been hurt, will you use this to hurt me or to protect me? i dont know yet, but i like you so far, so im going to show you the self that i think you'll like best. i want to impress you. i want you to trust me so maybe i can trust you

so much of dungeon meshi is about the way that we accidentally hurt our loved ones because we cant always understand them, or we dont know whats best for them when theyve been hurt in such complex ways, or because were too scared of being hurt again to tell them not to press into the bruise (see: chimera falin, falin giving up parts of her life to suit/protect marcille and laios bc she loves them, laios driving marcille deeper into the winged lions grip TWICE with his advice in the nightmares and again with the dungeon rabbits, everything chilchuck has ever done in his whole life, laios' father's everything also, and this is a labru post so ofc kabru lying about wanting to eat monsters to impress laios) i wouldnt be surprised if the allegory was intentional

anyways this part of their relationship budding into a toxic little flower theyll have to prune later is very cute to me and i really like reading it again knowing how they turn their relationship around later into one built on a mutual understanding and trust

[dunmesh]

laios and shuro's relationship is so important to me it's not funny anymore... the fact shuro kept believing in laios during the latter part of the manga, then searched for him after laios became a monster and defeated the winged lion- although it was unclear what exactly had become of him- is haunting me because of how it contrasts with him choosing to give up on saving falin after he saw her as a chimera. like, laios was so sure that their fight in chapter 38 was the end of their friendship while in reality it was the beginning of it in shuro's eyes. laios kept agonizing over losing the one friend he cared for the most but it's because he didn't understand the significance of that little thing he kept carrying with him in every step until the very end of the series: the bell.

shuro gave him that bell as a token of his trust in him and his love: "we grew apart and i'm no longer fit for the position by your side, but no matter how far you go, i'll be there for you when you need me". their conflict over how to deal with falin forced them to go in different directions, but despite accepting leaving falin behind, shuro couldn't bring himself to abandon laios as well. and it's no coincidence that the bell shuro gave him was the proof that laios was still alive after all that happened, or that it's what pushed mithrun and kabru to go deeper into the dungeon instead of returning to the surface (which quite literally changed the entire chain of events afterwards).

yes, shuro decided to stop pursuing falin and report her condition to the governor so she could be stopped, even at the cost of her life. he gave up on her. but the same man also defied the canaries and fought for laios without knowing how messed up things had gotten because he chose to believe in laios above all else. and that, in my opinion, solidified just how important laios became to him- more than falin's, more than his own life, it's laios's he didn't give up on.

at the very end, when he met laios again after the latter defeated the winged lion, he gave him a hug filled with the pure, unrestrained joy of seeing his first and best friend on the island alive and well. hell, i mean, it's easy to forget that shuro didn't really have anyone close to him too- and laios might very well be the first person he was this disgustingly direct and truthful with since he was a child. and when he goes back home, there won't be anyone else like laios there; his home is still the same. it's him that changed. and later on when he will recall all those years he spent on the island, he will realize how surprising it is that all the crazy stuff he witnessed don't hold a candle to the impact those few people he befriended there had on him.

of course, laios didn't realize it until then- shuro's reaction was indeed the one that surprised him the most- but at that moment he could absolutely feel how foolish he was to be so sure he will be hated and rejected after everything they went through. it's so important that it was shuro who greeted him so affectionately, after we saw laios brooding over their fight so much: it's shuro's acceptance that he was longing for the most.

with all that being said, the one last thing that drives me crazy is that the bell laios was given to use when he needed assistance most was still with him even after turning back into his human form. that tiny item he was shown to be quite careless with and yet never let go of until he wanted to be completely alone, thinking he should run away from everyone he loved; but it was too late, his friend already heard his cry for help.

and they all answered.

[fumifooms]

Quick Falin analysis. Congrats on her going along with her loved ones’ wishes becoming explicitly canon and not subtext btw!

Thinking of it, becoming a chimera and literally being puppeteered around by the will of the dungeon and its lord is such an… Explicit visualization of her demeanor in life of letting others’ wants and whims dictate what she does and where she goes. Shows the most extreme & worst version of it, of where that could lead her down the road. Dunmeshi loves often showing that with everyone, with the winged lion warping even the most selfless well-intentioned desire into something intense and destructive.

If Faligon is her retreating into that comfortable role of just on-pilot mode following what others want, that’d be an interesting angle too. Because we see like with the dragons fight at Thistle’s house that the monsters CAN act rebellious, meanwhile Falin was just so on board with the commands she got ever since she got transformed.

Chimera Falin doesn’t have a strong will? Oof

I do also think that Thistle is something that her nursing reflexes latch onto easily, when it comes to comforting and protecting others. It’s unsure how much of her is dormant as Faligon, or how being bound to the dungeon and the dungeon lord’s will affects her, but it’s undeniable that she acts with care when it comes to Thistle. On one hand, she fights ferociously for him, when protecting him or even just sent out to scout, but you can’t really say she’s being assertive either, not when she doesn’t complain or act when he eats all the berries and she’s hungry. She’s still that silent, sidelined guardian, only now very, very literal.

I never bought the angle that chimera Falin mostly represented her repressed anger at the world personally, like yes now she’s loud and big and imperfect, but again, socially she falls into the same pitfalls, it’s just that now she’s top dog, below just one person, and so she’s allowed to be aggressive with everyone else. If anything, it’s the dragon soul pushing her to want more, making her act out, giving her a taste of how it feels to be powerful, carefree and impossible to oversee, but it couldn’t be called catharsis I think. In general, she seems more passive with a "as long as I have what I love, everything else can go burn for all I care" mentality rather than actively(or repressedly) angry to me. Not that she couldn’t have complex feelings over being lonely and cast out either of course, but personally I never got the sense that she resents the world or society at large. I do feel like the dogs treating her like she was at the bottom of the hierarchy also shaped her a lot

Not only cast out by other kids and classmates, but also treated as someone that can be disrespected and roughened up by the dogs at home. She was really pushed into that go with the flow, make yourself scarce and quiet attitude. She’s never really been allowed to hope for better, or to have a dream of her own, her life path being decided for her by others. Besides with Laios, everything she learned everywhere in group dynamics was that she was at the bottom and should be content with whatever others gave her. Maybe that’s why she was so forgiving of her parents too, because at least, to some degree they did care and didn’t want to cut contact, and she takes what she can get.

Thank you @thatsmimi for the fantranslation of the new leaked content, the opening and ending pictures in this post. Their original post about it is here, and as mentioned it is not the official translation.

[pears-palette]

"Mural of the Martyr"

[ID in Alt]

I am so proud of this piece! I need to talk about my inspiration and symbolism (Warning: some manga spoilers ahead)

Several people have pointed out that Falin is often put on a pedestal, especially by Laios, Marcille, and Toshiro. The way they see her is almost saint-like; as if she could never do no wrong. This comes from a place of love, but it still puts pressure and unrealistic expectations on Falin. Due to the religious connotations, I styled this after murals of Saint Michael the Archangel.

Someone (I can't remember who, so if you know, lmk) pointed out that almost all the fan art of Falin focuses on her relationship with others or the emotions she inspires in others. For the most part, she is shown by herself in fan works only when she's a chimera. Which, I fully understand, Chimera Falin is cool as hell. But it is also the state where she lacks the most agency- literally changed into something else and under someone's control. That's why I wanted to do a piece that had her front and center, yet still lacking a face.

There's also the more minor symbolism; The winged lion looking down upon her, with wings framing the scene, the thistle- even if the transformation was unwilling, you could tell Falin still cared for Thistle. The honeysuckle ties into her memories of youth and her attempts to keep herself from starving. There is the claws of the griffin ready to tear into flesh, added because of how it was initially mistaken for Falin, and the themes of "eating something to honor them" + cannibalism, The middle being the rabbit stew that was such a trial of dedication to obtain and Falin's comfort yet downfall. The runes in the golden borders at the bottom are the same runes used in Marcille's resurrection spell for Falin.

If you've read this far, thank you! I love Dungeon Meshi and enjoy incorporating layered meanings into my art.

[dunmeshistash]

Hi, so recently there was a dunmeshi signing (?) event with Ryoko Kui in Korea. And I have found some posts from korean fans about their experience and a bunch of illustrations. @Dgae_715 is the acc on twitter i have found most of information from reposts. But basically here are the most relevant facts that I have found (Please note that they may be inaccurate due to me relying on online translator):

A fan asked if post canon Falin will live longer, Ryoko Kui basically answered “maybe so, right?”

The same fan asked if Thistle without desire will able to live happily with the care of others, and as far as I got she said “I hope so”.(Note: I am really not sure if I got this one right at all) The fan themselves said the way Ryoko Kui answered was rather unprepared, so she may not have an answer in mind really on such specific questions.

Another fan asked how Mithrun is in post canon, Ryoko Kui said that he is doing well, working and pursuing hobbies.

Somebody asked Mithruns about strength, he is weaker than a soldier, even though he is got the fighting skills, but he developed them mostly because of his sense of professionalism (?), rather than for fighting.

Past Mithrun didn’t really fight that much, he was mostly an investigator(?), he rarely had to fight in the rear(?) units.

Apparently Falin’s chimera form can get oily, so she repells water a bit

In real life, Marcille would be a med school research student, while Laios would be a “furita” (basically a freelancer with no stable income)

Someone said if Ryoko Kui considered a bad ending for Falin, and Ryoko Kui said she, as an author wanted a happy ending, but in case of Falin, she was worried after the ending (14 volume or later?), but overall she thinks it turned out well. (I think the after the ending refers to her post canon fate, and maybe thats why Ryoko kui did an extra on that specifically later on) 8. Also someone asked if Ryoko Kui would eat the dishes from dunmeshi, and she replied she is a picky eater, and she also said to someone that she drew dishes that she liked and disliked in dunmeshi (I bet she doesnt like fruitcakes).

(Note: There is a 90% chance I got this completely wrong, translator was struggling a LOT here) Someone asked about what Laios is good at, she replied “when he is a party member”. 9. She also likes Lord of the Rings and Wizardly 6(?), and she likes Skip and Loather

When asked about what word definies Laios, she said he is actually a normal/usual person(?). I have lost the post with this specific answer, so I am going by my memory;-;

Some fan showed her that picture with Tennant Chilchuck, she didnt recognise the actor unfortunately. Also apparently this meme originated from Korean dunmeshi fandom???

There were other questions and answers too, but they mostly about Ryoko Kui. And I also may have forgotten to add some;-; Also some fan suggested to Ryoko Kui that Falin in the real life should be a dentist by the way she makes them drool(????I think they meant it in non-sexual manner, like an excited dog), they kind of laughed about it. Also Ryoko Kui drew Falin the most(?) for signing postcards, other characters, and only 5-6 Senshis, 2 Winged Lions

Anonymous asked: The same anon with Korean sign event ask. I knew I forgot something, but basicaly some fan showed Ryoko Kui the day dream picture that most of fandom presumes to be a Chilchuck’s wife and asked if its true, she answered “Its up to your imagination”. So basically neither no or yes

Thank you! I LOVE SKIP AND LOAFER WEEEE

Hopefully we get some more corroborating translations for the bits you're not sure!

[catchingdaydreams]

Dungeon Meshi spoiler

Theory time : Laios greatest desires

It's been bugging me about what Laios greatest desires are as there are different ways to portray it. So here's my interpretation.

Firstly I want to acknowledge that Laios is still or some what is still the ultimate monster. Whatever he wrote down in his book describing the ultimate monster abilities (not physical appearances I'm focusing on) came true in one way, shape and form. Firstly, the ability to consume the lions desire in the first place. Secondly, in the side stories his poop actually creates a forest. Now the quote "can change shape" actually occurs twice throughout the series (so far).

Firstly turning into the monster and secondary, turning back to a human. The second time was not an act of the Lion as said quote "no magic works on it", thus it is completely Laios doing to shape shift freely. It's also interesting to note that both times he sheds his skin when changing into a new form. Like why this specially? Funny enough we do see this other time, as he turns into a wolf in his dreams to save his friend from the nightmares.

Furthermore, while turning back into a tall man, he isn't completely monster free. His aura remains that other monsters still recognize and therefore fear him.

The idea that weaker monsters fear stronger monsters to the extent of avoiding them is mentioned many times throughout the series. For example Senshi talks about how delicate the food chain is and that a stronger monster (squid/ krachen one) caused an imbalance to the abundance of other species. Naturally dragons are known to be one of the strongest monsters in the dungeon, as Thistle set a variety of different species to kill his party. Yet a common thing arises, coexist is near non-existent as power overall dominates all (either by kicking others off their territory or eating the weaker one). This Laios presence being the ultimate monster is not only removing other strong-ish monsters but disrupting the overall food chain.

Now that I establish what I think Laios is I want to drive it back to what his ultimate desire was. Here are some common ideas that I've seen from others on what his curse was:

To never turn back into the ultimate monster again.

Laios has repeatedly mentioned that he wanted to be another race and fauns over Falins chimera form. So never being able to shape shift again could be his curse.

Never will be full.

This theory stems from when Laios is still eating the dragon despite his friends being full/stick from overeating. They make a comment of concern when Laios says he's not really full yet. There is also speculation from one of the panel of Laios being dramatic as he tried to eat a walking mushroom.

Monsters fearing him and/or fail to cultivate them

In my opinion all of these are correct. Yet how?

Laios cannot eat monsters anymore

It was the main driver/theme thought the series from him and his group to eat monsters to survive. Yet little by little Laios ambitious desire to eat monsters for survival quickly became for the pleasure of taste. This isn't a bad thing, as I would like to clarify. Yet the Winged Lion doesn't really have a grasp of humanity and sees desire as desire, thus is exploiting Laios to go down a gluttonous path. And it does this by offering/guide them to a variety of monsters and access to water and basic needs for cooking. This though doesn't work as Laios is Laios. He isn't selfish. His desires for monsters mixed with the need for acceptance is heavily stated with wanted to integrate and cultivate monsters up on the surface. Furthermore, as he's not alone unlike other dungeon masters such as Thistle or Mithrun, his actions are quickly dispelled if they are reckless. For instance Senshi makes a very important note of keeping the ecosystem in balance and to not over take/kill species as it would upset the food chain. Without his party, gluttony would further be his downfall.

Yet becoming the ultimate monster can also be seen as a gluttonous ideal. He's a apex predator, thus like an actual apex predator no one is able to challenge him / prevent him on what he can or cannot eat eat. The only downfall to his survival is his abundance of prey. Heck being able to eat the lion's desire also alludes to his power of gluttony too.

So with the curse, wouldn't it be ironic to prevent his desire to eat monsters. Being the ultimate monster is now a double edged sword as prey escapes him. He cannot share his desires for eating monsters amongst his people anymore, thus the quotes or trial and error from the epilogue pages. Even if he gets his hands on a monster he cannot truly enjoy eating it, as it never makes him full, which can be interpreted from the epilogue page as well. One might look at the page and interpret as him getting ill from eating the walking mushroom too.

Basically, Laios, as a monster, cannot be a part of an ecological process such as a food webs. He wanted to be accepted and liked by his peers, now he's rejected by nature. Forced to crave for the taste of monsters flesh but it remains elusive.

Forever unsatisfied

By ones desire

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

[britcision]

GUESS WHAT FRIENDS I HAVE BEEN DOING MATH AGAIN no one is going to be happy about it 🥳

1) by the time Delgal reached the surface (6 years pre series), Senshi had been living in the dungeon for 44 years.

He coulda visited on the way up, and probably passed the veggie-golems

2) Thistle kept his dungeon at level 1 (per the canaries’ dungeon guide) for almost 1000 years

Mithrun’s entire span as a dungeon lord was over in 5

Now, Thistle’s did also progress pretty fast from level 2 to 5… but it still took 6 years

This is actually a super similar timeline, especially because we know Mithrun’s dungeon never hit 5… and we don’t actually know what level it got to, since it all depends on when he became a monsterfucker

(His lover’s snake half is referenced here around level 2 - see the gold scrapers

We know that’s the lover because they are always drawn with the unique shirt and hair and the lover is never depicted with legs, which is wild

However, it’s still possible this is a chimera rather than a lamia or naga, which is a level 4 problem… which is when the Canaries usually come dungeon busting anyway)

Of course, the Winged Lion was boxed for the entire span of the dungeon’s rapid development and the Goat wasn’t, which might account for a difference in speed… if Thistle’s dungeon grew much slower

Mithrun, with a fully active demon, didn’t hit the same goal in damn near the same timeframe, so we can infer:

- approximately a 5-6 year turnover on dungeons coming from level 2 to level 4-5 (sooooo that’s a lotta dungeon lords, especially if a change of lord usually forces a reset - Marcille and Laios sure didn’t tho)

- the demon is all one entity, so the cumulative effect from other dungeons around the world may have been used to strengthen the Island’s dungeon

- sinking the continent around your dungeon is a damn good way to keep it contained

- Mithrun was a mid-tier dungeon lord at best, “I wish I never took this job” is a weak ass desire especially when compared to Thistle and Marcille’s desires to Defeat Death and probably why he got spit out - his desire to fuck the demon up seems to be a lot more powerful than a moment of weakness in front of a mirror

(The demon even said it didn’t want to finish Thistle right away and save some for later; it ate the last scrap by accident because it was too dang good so we do know it can choose to leave someone behind… for A Reason:)

- the demon fucking angler-fished Mithrun’s ass by spitting him out, leaving behind only the desire to come back and find the demon again, and letting that build for 40 years. He didn’t reach Thistle levels of maturation but oh boy that’s an intentionally cultivated snack - so how many more of the dungeon lords in the group meeting had the same path

[lauren-ce]

Dunmeshi, food-horror, and SA analogues

@starstrike wrote a fantastic piece about Mithrun's backstory being an analogue for SA. I'd recommend reading that post first, because it helped me put my following thoughts in order.

On a similar note to theirs, I want to talk about one of the most joyous scenes in the manga, and how it's juxtaposed with two of the most horrifying ones. These scenes in context with each other have stuck with me ever since I saw them and they always make me feel somewhat sick to my stomach, and I think it's worth talking about how effectively they portray horror!

(trigger warnings for violence and SA imagery)

In chapter 67, chimera!Falin eats the first full meal she's been able to get her hands on. Up to this point she's been starving thanks to the combined issues of needing to feed a massive body with a small mouth, and Sissel not giving her the time to refuel.

Look at her expression of pure happiness! This series of panels captures what Dungeon Meshi is all about: the pure joy of eating a meal prepared by those who love you. But watch out!

The meal is a pretense to lull Falin to sleep. A meal prepared by family, to prepare the recipient to be eaten by family. What should be a joyous scene turns to horror as Laios kills his sister (note that the violence is inflicted on her human section, not on the dragon body)[Also note that his method of killing her is to cover her mouth, which was just previously the source of joy—now used against her to cut off her airflow and prevent life].

In this chapter, food is made the enemy. In most cases it has been the ally. Yes, their goal is ultimately to save Falin, but our protagonists are painted as the aggressors, using food as their weapon with which to kill the person they aim to save.

Soon after we get another horrible scene with the same food=enemy idea, in which Sissel is attacked/assaulted and devoured by the Winged Lion. This is Dungeon Meshi at its most horrible: we've never seen anyone get eaten alive before, not to mention that the scene looks like this:

which is clearly made to emulate the visual language of SA. Again, consider the framing here, with the Winged Lion on top and licking below Sissel's belt:

It's dehumanizing and cruel, calculated. The Lion eats his desire to resist first, then begins to strip away his identity.

In the end, the party and the islanders successfully eat Falin's dragon body and save her, but while Falin has no memory of the horror, it remains in our minds. Ryoko Kui takes the idea she's been building up, that food is a symbol of togetherness and companionship, and flips it on its head to devastating effect.

That's all (:

[candy8448]

Nearing the end of the dungeon meshi manga!

(Previous post)

I really like how chilchuck has a crisis and then starts to take charge lol. I love him. Dadchuck really shining through

Dadchuck! Dadchuck! Dadchuck!

Also i love the little tidbit about the cultural differences with even what to do with a babytooth. The tiny details are so cool

I like how the really powerful monster marcille makes is the EXACT SAME as the familiar she made to rescue senshi from the griffin. Same amount of wings and everything, i like that

I really dont like the labru ship but i can deffo see where people are comming from. The energy in this page is just overflowing

Also i really like the composition of the pannel with laios and kensuke being completely black. Shows the manipulation and evilness of the winged lion, its cool

I mentioned in this post how that when i saw it, i thought that it was chilchuck and his wife and what i thought about that. People however said it wasnt him due to the size of his ears and such (see the post for details on both parts) so idk, what do u think.

Oh no the hourglass eyes D:

Also the next pannel after that looks really cool, i love it

XD chilchuck knowing exactly what to get marcille to listen while everyone else's doesnt work as well, lol

These pages are amazing. Chilchuck's and izutsumi's expressions are everything. I love all of them so so much ^v^

Dang, her and laios both being like "i think the demon's powers are evil" "i think that being the dugeon lord is bad" XDXDXD

JAJSGDSJAHSB I FORGOT BUT I JUST REMEMBERED THAT "eating is a privilege of the living" :000!!

Falin's so me core...

The canaries applying sunscreen to mithrun otherwise he would forget and shiro picking up shells for falin are so cute!

I find it so funny how laios and crew just gets eaten lol

We are getting near the end and its crazy, i really dont want it to be over :( (but im deffo glad that kui decided to end it at a good point rather than drawing it out for too long. I despise series that draw it out for even a tiny bit too long)

(Couldn't marcille have asked the winged lion to change falin back to how she was before? Instead of just freezing her?)

Actually no, cuz if they tried to get her out of the dungeon the effect would dissapear and she would turn back to a chimera but outside and thats not good seeing how easily she murdered shiro's and the other parties

And to think that from neat the start, if they revived Falin with the black magic and then very soon after asked falin to teleport them back to the surface, then none of this would have happened lol, though i guess like laios said to marcille, without all of this they wouldn't have had all this fun and tried all that food and grown close together. I guess the real meshi was the friends we made along the way.

(Next post)

[typenull]

my laios and kabru dungeon meshi pokemon teams (respectively). explanations for each pick and my general ideas of how they would be as trainers below.

spoiler warning!

first up, laios

laios would be a very very dedicated pokemon trainer, and an avid researcher of pokemon ecology. i think he would be in absolute bliss in the pokemon world, a world where “monsters” and people live and work together in harmony. i wanted to represent his dedication by giving him pokemon that are rare, or take plenty of effort to evolve, either by friendship or by extensive level grinding. i also felt like laios would be fascinated by the concept of shiny hunting, and wanted to reflect this in his team.

his pokemon

silvally: self explanatory, isn't it? reflective of his "awesome monster". it’s a chimera that resents humans based on the circumstance of it’s existence. evolves based on love and true friendship. the absolute epitome of laios’s true identity. they are also both legendary and extremely rare, so this means he had to put in a lot of hard work to get a partner like this.

Through the bond it formed with its Trainer, its will was strengthened, and it was able to destroy its control mask.

The final factor needed to release this Pokémon's true power was a strong bond with a Trainer it trusts.

lycanroc: represents the dogs that raised him in his parent’s absence, and also his true ideal “wolf self”. it's my opinion that the wolf head of laios’s chimera form is the one that most concretely represents laios (it’s missing in earlier portrayals of his chimera form, and is the reason he chooses the wolf cloak when he becomes king.). it is also extremely loyal and protective of those it loves, just like laios.

When properly raised from a young age, it will become a trustworthy partner that will absolutely never betray its Trainer.

pyroar: indicative of the winged lion, obviously, but also a reference to the “main body” of the greek chimera myth. shiny mostly because the colors of the shiny remind me of him more. also male, not just for the mane, but because pyroar is 97.5% female — so this form is very rare! this pokedex entry really reminds me of laios:

The males are usually lazy, but when attacked by a strong foe, a male will protect its friends with no regard for its own safety.

braviary: represents the “eagle head” on his chimera form, and the idea of either a hippogriff or a griffin. braviary evolves extremely late in levels, so owning one is indicative of a lot of time put into training it. and i think laios would really enjoy searching for a shiny rufflet and training it for so long. braviary’s pokedex entries are extremely fitting for his personality, and they even have a connection to royalty, and sometimes even retaliate towards humans:

They fight for their friends without any thought about danger to themselves. One can carry a car while flying.

For the sake of its friends, this brave warrior of the sky will not stop battling, even if injured.

It's thought that people disturbed their habitats in the past, so Braviary banded together to fight back.

Known for its bravery and pride, this majestic Pokémon is often seen as a motif for various kinds of emblems.

hydreigon: not only a dragon, but one with multiple heads! i think laios would really personally resonate with the concept of the hydreigon line. because of this i can imagine himself dedicating himself to raising this “cool” dragon, not just because it’s cool, but because he understands “fighting with yourself/your desires”. on top of all of that, hydreigon have been known to destroy villages and resent human beings:

There are a slew of stories about villages that were destroyed by Hydreigon. It bites anything that moves.

It's said that Hydreigon grew ferocious because people in times long past loathed it, considering it to be evil incarnate and attacking it relentlessly.

It responds to movement by attacking. This scary, three-headed Pokémon devours everything in its path!

aegislash: it’s kensuke! this pokemon feels like it was basically made for laios, and reminds me of dungeon meshi in general. i mean, just look at these pokemon entries:

Apparently, it can detect the innate qualities of leadership. According to legend, whoever it recognizes is destined to become king.

Its potent spectral powers allow it to manipulate others. It once used its powers to force people and Pokémon to build a kingdom to its liking.

aegislash also reminds me of the winged lion, and is representative of not just laios’s eventual position as king, but also his “idealized” leadership as “dungeon master” over the course of the story.

now onto kabru!

as a trainer, in accordance to his position as laios's foil, i'd imagine that kabru would focus much less on pokemon battles and pokemon training. much like his lack of skill when it comes to exploring the dungeon, kabru is very people focused first, and i'd imagine his team is not very strong when it comes to battling... but i still wanted picks that would be indicative of who he is as a person. i'd like to think he acquired most of his pokemon not by the headstrong dedication towards exploration and catching that laios would have, but by making the right connections through trading and making bonds with other people. however, the few that he would have found on his own would be extremely special to him.

his pokemon

stufful: cute and unassuming on the surface, but secretly spiteful and aggressive underneath... it reminds me of kabru a lot. this is also the first in the start of a running theme of plush / toy-like pokemon i incorporated into his team, to represent his childhood being raised by misiril and treated like a "doll". kabru's childhood is something i find very few people take into consideration, but it really changes the way you look at his character...

A touch from anyone except a known friend sends it into a surging frenzy. It's an incredibly dangerous Pokémon. Its fluffy fur is a delight to pet, but carelessly reaching out to touch this Pokémon could result in painful retaliation.

mimikyu: another contribution to the doll-like theme of his team, but also is a pokemon that i feel is most representative of kabru's personality... someone who just wants to be loved and idolizes and takes after another, hiding behind a cute and nice mask, with an unending well of loneliness and a desire to be friends despite feeling like something evil. kabru talks about how he feels like a monster due to his lineage with misiril in his adventure's bible excerpt, and it's always struck powerfully with me. (as a result i can't stand when people make blue eyes jokes about him, lol.) he spends his entire adventure idolizing laios, just wanting to be his friend... (and secretly hating him.) to me, mimikyu is a perfect partner for kabru.

A lonely Pokémon, it conceals its terrifying appearance beneath an old rag so it can get closer to people and other Pokémon. It has taken damage and can no longer hold the head of its cloth disguise upright. For as long as it lives, Mimikyu will never forget its attacker.

mawile: meant to symbolize kabru's "two-faced"ness, and also just seemed like a type i thought he would enjoy. yet another cute looking pokemon to contribute to his team's theme, as well. this pokemon's dex entries mention how it uses it's cute facade to lure in other pokemon, and i thought that was fitting. i also thought it was nice that the jaws are actually horns, playing back into kabru's self-demonization.

Don't be taken in by this Pokémon's cute face—it's very dangerous. Mawile fools the foe into letting down its guard, then chomps down with its massive jaws. The steel jaws are really horns that have been transformed. It has two mouths. The big jaws on the back of its head can't taste anything, so that's the mouth it uses to eat foods it doesn't like.

espurr: a small and cute pokemon that reminded me of misiril, and kabru as a child. i also wanted to include it in order to make it clear that kabru wouldn't always care about fully evolving or training his pokemon, or using anything considered "strong" - since battling wouldn't be his expertise. this is yet another pokemon that seems docile but is secretly holding back dangerous power. i thought that he would resonate with this pokemon's blank and scary stare.

Though Espurr's expression never changes, behind that blank stare is an intense struggle to contain its devastating psychic power.

banette: next to mimikyu, i feel like this pokemon most accurately reflects kabru's past and personality. once again calling back to kabru's unhealthy childhood, and his treatment as an object. originally being a toy itself, banette holds strong grudges against those who have abandoned and wronged it.

An abandoned plush doll became this Pokémon. They are said to live in garbage dumps and wander about in search of the children that threw them away. It's a stuffed toy that was thrown away and became possessed, ever searching for the one who threw it away so it can exact its revenge. Resentment at being cast off made it spring into being. Some say that treating it well will satisfy it, and it will once more become a stuffed toy.

buneary: for his final team member, i knew from the outset that i wanted to include a buneary on his team. buneary is the only pokemon to start off with a base 0 happiness -- and as a result is an extremely hard pokemon to evolve! this also pairs well with the unique move of Frustration - a move that is more powerful the lower a pokemon's happiness. this seemed fitting. i wanted to keep it at a weak stage, but i also enjoy that it's a friendship evolution that he could slowly raise. i made this pokemon shiny partially because i just associate kabru with the color pink, but also because i thought it told a nice story. i liked the idea of kabru finding this equally battle-wary but extremely rare pokemon and slowly having it warm up to him over time, as he slowly learns to trust a "monster" he is somewhat wary of himself.

If both of Buneary's ears are rolled up, something is wrong with its body or mind. It's a sure sign the Pokémon is in need of care.

[loriache]

kabru definitely IS human, like i dont doubt it for a second. i mean his parent isnt a fucking bee lmao it’s atavism or smth like milsiril suggests.

but there is such a big part of me that thinks about the parallels with the winged lion he has, his deep sense of alienation and fear of being a monster, and wants to explore what it would do to his psyche if he had to reckon with a monstrous origin or monstrous traits

there are so many options. made into a chimera… something wrt his origin…. personally im partial to some setup wherein he is the result of a demon wish in the vein of the winged lion offering to Give Marcille Children. the dungeon in utaya went through a lot of lords. it probably wasnt where he was born since his mum ran away from his dads family but you could finesse that part. it would evoke the succubus - incubus - demon connection and also explode his self image. also the demon totally would give you a child with a trait that isolated you from your support network

but like idk if this jives thematically….. i just don’t know….. but it’s a fun Imagination Palace. it would really put kabru in the torment nexus, but i think he could grow through it. laios would be So Jealous lmao

[malewifesband]

while mithrun is a really obvious dark mirror for kabru and what he is and could be if things were worse, i think he also acts as a mirror for laios in the resolution of the story. its important that laios is there to see kabru tell mithrun that he will get new desires, that just because he cannot have the same things he wanted before doesnt mean hes incapable of finding new things to want

bc laios has just lost his ability to be among monsters for the rest of his life. he wanted so badly for an escape from his humanity, and he never gets that now. monsters were how he coped with really severe bullying and abuse, with an emotionally negligent father and fragile mother, with a superstitious and alienating village, with all the struggles being autistic gave him in life. he understands them better than people and he wanted so badly to become one--which, looking at the extra with lycion talking to izutsumi and comparing it to the one where he talks to laios, would mean a complete oblivion. he would not be laios anymore, and when he takes that chimera form, the winged lion sure does act like thats whats happened, that laios isnt really in there anymore. he unpersons him in almost every panel. this desire for oblivion is the same deep down as mithruns

and now he has to accept hes just as deserving of his humanity as everyone else is. and not only is he deserving of that, his unique qualities, when nurtured and supported by his community who can make up for what he lacks, make him a wonderful leader

and its meaningful that the two people who put in the most effort to understand him in the manga were also the two to decide to stand by his side for the entirety of his reign. marcille and kabru.

[xeeble]

I want your opinions on this!

i have seen the suggestions for more Dungeon Meshi 'mons, and i have a potential list for the team that I might be drawing beyond Shellder Senshi:

Laios: Lycanroc Day Form

Falin: Audino

Marcille: Braixen or MAYBE POSSIBLY Hisuian Zoroark

Chilchuck: Monferno

Izutsumi: Glameow EDIT: FLORAGATO NOW

I have only been keeping up with the anime and not the manga. Do these feel accurate enough to their designs?

Some ideas for spoiler designs (below the Read More) include:

Evil!Laios: Lycanroc Night Form

Lord of the Dungeon Marcille: Delphox OR Unovan Zoroark

Chimera Falin: Silvally / Mega Audino combo

Thistle: Frillish or Espeon

Winged Lion: Solgaleo

[fumifooms]

hey i have a lore discussion for ya. so. basilisk chapter: laios is like 'wow monsters that are a mix of multiple animals are so cool! i used to have this fake monster that had all these cool attributes. but i've realized now that i'm older that it's better if a chimera only has two or three animals, instead of a bunch.' however, the Ultimate Monster has about 12 animals in it. and because chilchuck says 'i thought he grew out of this', it's clearly not a continuity error. 1/2

So. Do you think this Ultimate Monster transformation was influenced by the Winged Lion, and it's evidence that the Winged Lion was specifically preying on the fantasies of laios when he was a kid dreaming about being a monster? i've never seen anyone talk about how odd it is that despite laios saying 'chimeras are better if it's just one or two monsters', he still likes his Ultimate Monster design, and even adds the third head to it during the story. 2/2

You’re right that this is a layered topic, but no I don’t think it’s a fantasy he only had as a kid that the WL had to dig for. Below we have a EverydayHeroes Scans glossary page plus the final chimera sketch. As you said, the third head is added during the story. "That scylla sure was cool, let’s add a wolf head in there." Something which he has to note down before going to fight the Winged Lion.

Notice the emphasis on "cool". I think the familiar chapter is the other major relevant bit for this plot thread. It shows us with no ambiguity that Laios does care about aesthetics. It shows us that he can build a monster through logic and be reasonable about it, but he’s also not immune from getting carried away.

Ultimately, it’s still Marcille who builds the perfect familiar that succeeds for the situation, and Laios undermines it for its looks before seeing it in action. Marcille here ALSO mentions how he ‘should have grown out of this phase’.

So yes I mean, I think it’s clear that Laios’ fantasy is a fantasy, it’s not rational or logical or even something good that would work out, and even he knows that. Kind of like how when the winged lion showed him visions of a golden kingdom he reigned over during the succubus-induced dream he ended up saying "yeah… Things wouldn’t be so simple". The winged lion draws from deep seated desires, wether or not the person knows it’s stupid or that they shouldn’t, morally or otherwise, doesn’t matter. The winged lion is brute forcing through enticement for them to cave in. I don’t think Laios thinks becoming a monster would be all that he’s hoped for rationally, especially after seeing the whole chimera Falin situation. It’s like people irl saying they’d like to be a housecat and lounge all day; it’s a fantasy but not something that would really work out, as most people can acknowledge while nevertheless still keeping that pleasant daydream. The winged lion calls it out too! "If you’d wanted to be another kind of monster instead of animal, you’d be invincible right now". His preference for chimeras itself is a matter of taste and not practicality. It’s not well thought out, it’s a craving. Laios wanting to be a chimera is a soup mix of comfort fantasy and childhood coping mechanism and special interest hobby and idealization, and more.

And!!! That’s the point! What saves the world, how Laios saves the world, isn’t a flawless plan! What saves the world is Laios’ most authentic most flawedly human desires, ones he couldn’t control or repress. It’s the weird interest that everyone shamed and denigrated, his uniqueness and feeling of disconnect towards humans, that ultimately saves humanity. Because he genuinely desired becoming a monster, genuinely had that hungry curious nature in the deepest corner of his soul.

The Winged Lion doesn’t work through thoughts and the brain but through wants that are more primal, in your guts, in your heart. It doesn’t seek to checkmate you through logic, it wants you to surrender yourself willingly through manipulating your wants, your weaknesses, your emotions.

It’s like Laios’ curse at the end too, and even the succubus. If Laios were to rationally go through these desires-based trials, it’d reflect his actual wants, instead of just desires and cravings: the curse would have been that Falin can’t be revived, and his most alluring form would have been Falin safe. Dunmeshi in this way is kind of about the struggle of rising above our animality and these deep seated desires that go against productivity and what we actually want, like say, always feeling physically hungry even if you’ve eaten more than enough and knowing you should stop there. Like, it’s why we’re talking about allure and enticement.

Like aughhhh!! Why Laios got to eat desires is because he genuinely wanted to see how it tasted so bad, it wouldn’t have been granted by the lion if it wasn’t something he truly desired, like <3 it’s not something he could have simply strategized he needed to genuinely want it. It wasn’t the plan. It wasn’t plan A or B or C.

Laios my favorite fucked up cinnamon roll who saves the world through his authentic selfish desires

But no I don’t think Winged Lion was preying on his kid fantasies as much as like. The remnants of it that are still there and repressed in him. Kinda like how Marcille’s desire is also about childhood trauma, but if it’d been processed better it might have been different. I do feel like irl we carry a lot of stuff with us that was shaped in our childhoods, often some level of unhealthy and irrational that we have to kinda work through and be like ok that’s enough of that let’s be serious now. And yeah! Yeah. You’re very right that his chimera is strongly associated with his childhood desires though. It’s just that these desires really do stick, and sometimes they can overtake logic, wether or not you’re an adult and wether or not you have a demon on your shoulder telling you to let yourself be tempted.

So yes! Laios knows that a chimera with fewer animals is logically better, but a True Heart’s Desire isn’t always rational or good and his heart yearns for the Rule of Cool.

It’s, again, like the succubi! Laios is interesting for this because the thing with succubi is that they freeze people: they make the prey freeze and not want to resist/run away, but they don’t make it reciprocate either. They don’t- they don’t usually have to reason with them and be like "no i swear we’re totally real <3". Like no one in the party thinks there’s any chance of hot naked blonde women, general Hareus or Izu’s mom actually walking out of the darkness in the dungeon, especially since they were already on guard and knew succubi were going to attack. But with Laios it was more complex than that. And I think it’s way less "oh haha yeah what you’re saying makes so much sense" and more "I want to believe this is real so for a lack of a better reaction I’m just going to not do anything, maybe just maybe it might be". Again it’s enticement, it appeals to your desires. Again it doesn’t operate on a rational level, and that makes sense because the succubi are monsters who seek to trigger your fight or flight or freeze instinct and make it land on freeze; it doesn’t operate on a rational level but a deep seated one that seeks to shortcircuit logic and better instincts. And part of that was Laios’ succubus going "oh your party members have 4 heads each!!!! Ain’t that cool!!!" like, his desire for chimeras and many headed monsters is so not rooted on a logical level.

It’s a silly fantasy. He thinks several heads are cool and he wants them, like the familiar he makes with Marcille. He chooses aesthetic over practicality becahse he wants to try and believe it’ll work out so bad, and truly I can’t blame him.