One of the most tragic and compelling aspects of Dunmeshi, to me, is that we’ll probably never know (unless Kui tells us lol) how Delgal actually felt about Thistle. I’ve seen people say that he genuinely cared for him as a brother and his journey to the surface was to save him from his madness as much as it was his people. I’ve seen people say that he saw Thistle as nothing more than a fancy accessory or tool that ended up going astray. Others I’ve seen (and personally agree with) say that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But honestly, I think any one of these interpretations has the potential to be correct… and that’s just heartbreaking.
After all, Delgal is dead. Like, dead-dead. The very first chapter of the manga starts with his spirit leaving this mortal coil, taking that answer with him. And…
How he talks about Thistle here… it’s interesting. He does not ask for him to be talked down, or captured or imprisoned, but instead “defeated”. Which Mithrun interprets as asking for his death… which is reasonable, because that’s likely how the vast majority of adventurers interpreted his words, too. Obviously as he was crumbling to dust he probably didn’t have the capacity to be particularly verbose or explain the complex backstory to how the kingdom ended up this way, but the effect is the same no matter how he may have felt with it. He asked for Thistle to be killed.
But… even in situations where he wasn’t under any such time limit to explain what was going on, he still seemed not to. Most glaringly:
Yaad seemingly has no idea that it was Delgal’s fault that Thistle sought the demon’s power. Obviously he couldn’t talk to him about it because Thistle was, uh, a little out there by that point, but why didn’t Delgal explain? Was he embarrassed? Mournful? Couldn’t find the words?
Delgal was scared of dying. He wanted prosperity at any cost, and how could Thistle possibly refuse? Did he even realize that what he was the one who pushed his own brother— One who basically helped raise him despite being a child himself, and in many ways is still a child— down this path? Or was it like watching an overzealous employee misinterpret directions?
The way Yaad describes things here makes it sound like Thistle simply dug too deep in his studies and fell into madness, but we know that’s not true. Delgal didn’t “suggest” he learn magic, he wanted a mage who could help himself and his people defy death, which he admits to Thistle openly:
So, why? Why not tell his grandson, at least, the truth of the matter? Did he worry it might make the remaining residents more likely to upset Thistle, and therefore suffer the consequences? Did he just not care? For what it’s worth though, Yaad does suspect the truth from Delgal’s behavior.
He “always blamed himself” for his descent into the dark arts. This is just Yaad’s observation, and that’s without knowing that it was quite literally Delgal’s fault Thistle went down this path. So, why? Why was it all kept a secret?
Of course, this made things ripe for the winged lion to manipulate to its advantage. Clearly despite knowing he’d pushed him into using it, Delgal still thought the lion was a force of good that was misused by Thistle as a result of his madness. His face in that last panel is particularly haunting. He looks terrible, gaunt and pale with overgrown hair and missing teeth. Had he gone mad, with grief and sorrow, as well?
Could he no longer see Thistle the way he did when they were younger? No one can ask him, because he died long before the story even began.
To go back to the original question, well, how did Delgal see Thistle? None of the previous points make a definitive answer any clearer, and I think that’s just brilliant. And so, so tragic.
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Anyway I dunno how helpful this is gonna be to anyone but me, but uh… I… may have made a lil summary list of all the chapters of Dungeon Meshi by who’s in them and the vaguest description of what happens
(This began when I was trying to see if Chilchuck and Mithrun had been in a single panel together pre finale for Fanfic Reasons - they had been
One. Single. Panel.
Before Mithrun fucked off upstairs at Thistle’s house)
There are OBVIOUSLY spoilers it’s chapter by chapter but I like being able to pinpoint where the fuck to search for random obscure details so: Spoilers Below The Cut
DunMeshi chapters
1 - Falin goes down, leaving the dungeon, meeting Senshi. Giant scorpion hot pot
2 - man eating plants vs plant eating man
3 - basilisk hunting, meeting Doni and Fonil
4 - how not to pick mandrakes
5 - Chilchuck the trap expert, cooking with traps
6 - living armour, Laios first death
7 - analyzing and eating the living armour, Kensuke acquired
8 - Senshi and the golems
9 - veggie knight Laios, meeting the orcs
10 - meeting Kabru, treasure bugs
11 - spirit sorbet
12 - living paintings, first sighting of Thistle
13 - Chilchuck vs Mimics
14 - hair is important for magic, Anne actually does not like you sir, kelpie soap
15 - corpse collectors find Kabru, Kabru Swears Revenge, instant mermaid tpk, mermaids hate Laios’ singing
16 - kraken attack, parasites in parasites
17 - Marcille and Falin flashback, making fake dungeons, the natural dungeon, rip Laios
18 - planning rests, Marcille vs the Undine, Marcille low on mana - need lots of iron, Namari approaches
19 - Namari and the Tances meet Laios and co, the Undine is Super Duper Mad Actually, how resurrection works in the dungeon, fun with tentacles
20 - the undine fight part 2, trying to send Marcille to the surface for mana reasons with Namari and the Tances, Namari discovers the adamantine wok, Tances to the surface
21 - Laios and co down the shortcut full of tentacles, frog suits
22 - Tances to the governor, Namari and the twins visit a resurrection centre and bond
23 - Laios and co down to the castle town, how to fight the dragon awake and without Shuro? Mapping the town, planning
24 - leading the dragon around, Kensuke defects, stabbing feet is mid actually
25 - backup plan, let’s stand on a pot full of fireworks, the sacrifice play, Laios may learn some healing spells pls
26 - flashbacks with Laios, Falin, and the puppers, healing everyone up, excavating the dragon’s stomach and also guts
27 - putting the bones together, not enough left to reach the surface, it’s Fucked Up Necromancy Time, we gots a FALIN
28 - rest and recovery, dragon cooking season, Falin’s a lil OP now, Thistle Has Opinions
29 - hey guess what there’s still dragon in there, Thistle and Falin vs Laios and co, ghost rescue
30 - orcs on the fifth floor, Chilchuck would like his friends to live please, retreating to the surface?
31 - well shit going back is less easy than it looks, the moving maze, dryad snacks
32 - Tance resurrects Kabru and co, Kabru Swears To Go Home And Chill, attack of the corpse collectors, Kabru Has Morals
33 - Kabru and co working out who keeps “stealing” their stuff, a look at Laios and co from the outside and they all look shifty, sea serpent, Shuro and co meet Kabru and co
34 - teaching Laios healing magic, infinite energy in the dungeon, Laios mana sickness, the castle town is moving again, cockatrice, Marcille is petrified and pickling
35 - Chilchuck maps the dungeon city’s changes, dungeon cleaners, Shuro and Kabru and co arrive
36 - Kabru is kinda creepy okay, Chilchuck has something almost like a map, So Did You Fucking Save Falin (it’s complicated), Splitting The Party But For Safety Reasons, Laios tells Shuro and Kabru what has been happening including his Questionable Decisions, Shuro Backstory Via Maizuru
37 - Shuro is stabby and Kabru is a dick, HARPIES, Laios Maybe Should Not Have Told Shuro, Falin on the rampage
38 - Kabru Fucking Murders Falin (or DID he), reviving everyone, Laios vs Shuro, Marcille can MAYBE heal people I GUESS, Kabru has anatomy question, monster dinner for Kabru, Kabru and Shuro’s combined co go back to the surface and leave their supplies behind
39 - Suspiciously Convenient Downwards Stairs, why are we being attacked anyway, shapeshifters are just like us actually, Laios and all his impressions are super obvious so you can’t be mad
40 - Laios and crew with the shapeshifters cooking challenge
41 - Izutsumi joins the party, use your tools properly, decursing Izutsumi
42 - nightmares, Laios and Marcille
43 - reaching where the dragon fight took place, ice golem, Izutsumi and Chilchuck bond
44 - Izutsumi gets Namari’s coat, flashbacks with Izutsumi, barometz
45 - Kabru and Shuro’s crews reach the surface, Canaries reach the governor and Kabru reports, Laios Sees Dead People
46 - spirit kidnapping, the Golden Country and domesticated monsters, the mad sorcerer’s curse, Prophecies And You
47 - dungeon pancakes in the golden company, Yaad experiences Consequences, frozen over floor, That Is A Griffin Not A Falin
48 - griffin done kidnapped Senshi, making familiars, it turns out crafting skills are important, Senshi rescue
49 - Senshi’s Tragic Backstory™️, griffin vs hippogriff soup
50 - first changeling day! Elf Senshi, through the golden door
51 - changeling’d Laios and co vs gargoyles, We Are The Mushroom Circle, wash up
52 - dwarf elevator, Falin and Laios backstory, Canaries reach the dungeon
53 - Kabru, Namari, Canaries, the shadow governor and Mithrun being intensely fuckable
54 - Kabru, Namari and Shuro, mushrooms attack, Thistle Sighted
55 - Mithrun vs Thistle Round 1, Laios’ party have been changelinged take 2 (ogre Marcille) and eating ointment
56 - bicorn Laios’ party, the Chilchuck wife reveal
57 - flashback Falin and Laios take Marcille to the dungeon for the first time, headless horseman comes for some bicorn
58 - Laios’ party, succubi attack and the party goes down, Izutsumi focused
59 - Izutsumi’s succubi and party replenishment
60 - Laios’ succubus dreams and winged lion conversation, Laios the Dungeon Lord
61 - Kabru backstory reveal, Mithrun’s broke ass self reveal, Be sure not to want too much, The Ship Begins
62 - Mithrun the Dungeon Lord, footrubs work fuck you, their week alone and teleport scroll to meet up with the Canaries
63 - Laios and crew find Thistle’s house, phoenix fight and cooking, found book 1
64 - Marcille opens the book, need to make a meal for Falin
65 - dungeon rabbits and Marcille’s corpse tour
66 - top floor of the dungeon, Bickering Next To Holes Is Bad Actually, Kabru and the Canaries have a snack and Mithrun will not fucking stop staring, Laios and crew prepare a meal, Thistle is Suffering
67 - flashbacks with Laios and Falin, Laios kills Falin, Ready to take and have something taken
68 - Thistle’s backstory, someone has CLEANED, fuck you winged dragon
69 - Thistle and the Dragons nearly rock up a tpk
70 - Thistle shoulda researched dragons more
71 - Laios bondages Thistle to solve problems, Thistle instead creates a new problem
71.1 - Daydream Hour 4, character sketches, Canaries
72 - Thistle’s Brand New Feeder Fantasies, winged dragon eats Thistle and frees Laios and co to recover, Izutsumi finds Yaad
73 - Marcille is hung over, the Canaries and Kabru reach Thistle’s house, Cithis decides it’s hypno-time and Mithrun hunts down Thistle for round 2 (unneeded)
74 - Mithrun constantly accidentally menaces Marcille, Marcille unseals the winged dragon
75 - Mithrun vs Demon round 1, Marcille becomes Dungeon Lord and spiders it up
76 - Kabru, Canaries, Laios and co aftermath of Marcille’s leaving, dealing with the injured, Kabru sucks at explanations and Lycion is impatient, Canaries lose Laios and co
77 - orcs have captured Shuro and Namari, the dungeon shifts
78 - monsters running rampant, Namari and Shuro and Flamelle trying to work out what to do to save the world, sides picked for/against Laios as Dungeon Lord (he isn’t but okay)
79 - Marcille sees Falin and her dad, Laios and crew don’t drown yet, the Canary familiar army gets weird and eats them and promptly regrets it
80 - pooped out by coatl, Laios and co reunite with Marcille to discuss wtf, demon is a stripper, Laios says maybe stop Marcille says stay in the kitchen and make me a sammich
81 - Laios and co getting into Marcille’s past with FakeDad, do in fact make her a sammich, it does not work and subterfuge is still needed to escape
82 - phone calls on the surface, dungeon is leaking
83 - Kabru and the Canaries see the crack, monsters line up for combat, Marcille gets a new outfit that 1000% does not stop Mithrun from coming for her ass, Mithrun vs Marcille round 2 but he’s been listening and totally tries talking her down one whole time, Canaries tpk’d except Lycion
84 - Laios rescues Lycion, reconnects with Kabru Shuro and Namari, demon shares its goals and sides square up to contain the dungeon, monsters stop to let Laios and co through to see Marcille
85 - Laios and co find Falin in the tower, Marcille drowning in desires but the strongest one is for DRAMA (Chilchuck’s family)
86 - monsters will not listen to Marcille’s stop, sealing the bookhand demon, How do I stop being a dungeon lord?, Laios offers to defeat the demon and resurrects Mithrun on that alone so he signs off on eating Falin
86.1 - Daydream Hour 5, alternate outfits and more Canary stories
87 - demon backstory, needs other site
88 - Laios and co inside the demon (still a thot), Laios makes a deal
89 - dropping of Marcille and the gang with Namari and the Canaries, “Laios” makes a break for the surface but IT IS MITHRUN WITH A STEAL CHAIR Mithrun vs Demon round 3, still no noticeable success
90 - what if y’all go hang out with monster Laios instead, The World Is Ending And It’s All My Fault (Marcille and Kabru), Mithrun Is Having None Of It, Marcille and co chase down “Laios”, demon arms go claw machine
91 - vore and reverse vore, Laios vs “Laios”, get cursed bitch
92 - back down the tower then oops gotta escape the dungeon anyway, Marcille and gang find Namari, looking for Laios
93 - Now We Have A Dinner Party, different groups coming to help, found Laios
94 - elves in the aftermath, Mithrun serving up Falin, leftovers and veggie scraps
95 - meal, About That Golden Country, resurrection take 2
96 - epilogue
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Delicious in Dungeon - Ryōko Kui
Vol.8: A "my introduction to the manga" commentary.
(*vague anime spoilers)
-cithis, what a queen
-okay, hold up. kabru. i like him more in the manga, i can actually see the vulnerable traumatized young man instead of the anime's "is he a threat???" kabru. his eyes are kinda haunted. not sure if it's a manga thing or an arc thing that the anime hasn't explored yet though, since i'm starting on vol.8.
-DON'T LICK CITHIS' EAR YOU FILTHY FILTHY MAN WHAT THE HELL?!
-MITHRUN! MITHRUN FIGHTING THE ASSHOLES! MITHRUN!
-THAT MITHRUN SMILE! I APOLOGIZE FOR EVER SAYING I'M NOT DRAWN TO DUNMESHI, MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES, I-
-I LOVE THAT TINY FAIRY!
-mithrun is serving looks
-this makes me want to actually read the manga from the start and see how i feel about kabru when meeting him there instead of in the anime. see if i'd warm up to him immediately like i'm doing now, or side-eye him a lil bit hostilely like i did in the anime.
-mithrun as hypercarry main dps and everyone else as a buffer
-mithrun can't seem to stop touching kabru, just saying. he has no reason to be touching him.
-what insta-chemistry is this, the very second kabru and mithrun started interacting for real they felt like they just gel together
-HALF OF THE CANARIES ARE CRIMINALS?!?!
-THISTLE IS BABY, BE GENTLE!
-i've never been happier to see falin. GO SAVE THISTLE, GIRL!
-YESSS, BB THISTLE GOT HIS BOOK
-smol. so smol. mithrun so smol compared to kabru.
-THEY FELL?! UNDERGROUND? KABRU AND MITHRUN, JUST THE TWO OF THEM?!
-CHIL CHEATED ON HIS WIFE?!?! chil, for shame.
-"frankly, ‘good’ isn't defined well, and i'm not sure what it means." way to drop truth bombs in the most nonchalant way possible, laios
-IZUTSUMI IS SO CUTE, SHE'S SO CUTE IN EVERY PANEL
-wait no, the bicorn looks so sad when it falls :(
-oh, chil didn't cheat. good boy. man.
-what, his wife just up and left?! why?! (my marcille is showing)
-lmao marcille is really living that married life with chilchuck
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I was procrastinating on making a master post/introduction but eventually I would have to do it 😮💨
Okay let's go.
Call me Lotor or any nickname will work. I am aroace and genderfluid (any/all pronouns are fine).
Alien Stage (Alnst)
Characters
Ivan
Till
Mizi
Sua
Luka
Hyuna
Hyun Woo
Ships/Pairings/Friendships
Ivantill, Mizisua, Hyuluka
Things I wrote:
Falling Stars (Ivantill, incomplete)
Copium ;) (Ivantill, Mizisua, Hyuluka, abandoned)
I didn't get to say it back (Ivantill, oneshot, completed)
Scum villain's self saving system (SVSSS)
Characters
Shen Yuan
Shen Jiu
Shen Qingqiu (used for both Shens)
Liu Qingge
Luo Binghe
Ming Fan
Yue Qingyuan
Gongyi Xiao
(will add more when I remember)
Ships/Pairings/Friendships
JiuYuan, QiJiuYuan, BingFan, MoShen, BingLiu, MoShang, LiuShang, CumPlane
(will add more when I remember)
Things I wrote:
A witty fox is still an annoying fox (JiuYuan, incomplete)
An Anthology of Miscommunication (QiJiuYuan, BingFan, OC x Canon, incomplete)
One Step Back and You'll Catch Me (YueYi, incomplete)
BingFan Socmed AU (BingFan, Tumblr-only, incomplete)
Shen Siblings Notes (No Ships, Headcanons)
A Demon would be loved by the world, but you, Shen Qingqiu, shall be loved by me (JiuYuan, incomplete)
I Have To Seduce My Soulmate From Another World?! (JiuYuan, LiuShang, not released)
Slay The Princess (STP)
Characters
The Shifting Mound (The Princess)
The Long Quiet (The Protagonist)
Ship (the one)
The Shifting Quiet
Routes
The Damsel, The Thorn
Things I wrote:
Nothing yet :(
Dungeon Meshi (Dunmeshi)
Characters
Laios
Falin
Senshi
Chilchuck
Marcille
Izutsumi
Shuro
Kabru
Mithrun
Lycion
Ships/Pairings/Friendships
Farcille, Labru, Labrumisu, Laicion, Mithcion, Kabumisu, Laichil, Chilshi
(will add more when I remember)
Things I wrote:
Nothing yet :(
Toilet Bound Hanako Kun (TBHK)
Characters
Nene
Aoi/Akane (I use their tags interchangeably because I can't remember the difference half the time)
Teru
Kou
Mitsuba
Hanako
(will add more when I remember)
Ships/Pairings/Friendships
Terukane, Aoinene, Terukaneaoi, Terukaneaoinene, MitsuKou
(will add more when I remember)
Things I wrote:
Nothing yet :(
Humans are space orcs (HASO)
(masterlist)
HASO: USS Bartholomew
My stuff
My writing
My art
My AO3 account
Shitpost
Cryptic shitposting
Slugma Appreciation Post
Ask
Homophobic Dog
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