Marco

“*Because jays are some of the smartest birds, but if you make any creature too complacent, too content with an easy lifestyle, it’ll become dumb and senseless, completely vulnerable to those who are not. You ever wonder why celebrities are all so dumb and don’t have any common sense? It’s because they’ve forgotten what paying bills and making ends meet feels like. They don’t have to struggle to survive anymore, so they start forgetting how to. They’re…rooted in fantasy, because they have enough money to get away with ignoring reality. And they’re famous, so they feel so self-important that even the fears of being forgotten, of being nothing, are no longer something that drives them. They essentially lose strength, their will to live, to survive, because they’ve taken being alive for granted, and that’s something you should never forget- not down here, not up there. That’s why I call you jay. You’re smart, jay. Never lose your wings*.”

— Marco to Ten in Chapter 47: Another Promise (Gallows Humor)

## Debuts

### Graphic novel debut

N/A

Marco was a Revenant in the Mausoleum. He was the first person Ten shared a close relationship with. He was
also the first voice in Ten’s head.

## Biography

Marco lived on a farm when
he was a child. Along with his brother, he worked on the field of his farm.
Marco tells Ten that his farm would attract jays, which he would spray with a
high-pressure hose.

 At one point, his mother
left their home and did not return. His father had told him, “She’ll come back. Don’t worry. She promised she would.
I know she will, kids. Don’t be upset, I’ll make dinner and take care of you
until she does. Because I love her and I know that’s what she would want and I
love all of you guys too. Don’t be so sad.”

## Appearance

Marco had olive skin and dark freckles on his nose. He had long brown hair and dark brown eyes. Marco also had a thin scar on his throat.

## Personality

In his initial meeting with
Ten, Marco seemed to be nice and protective. Marco usually comforted Ten and
made him feel safe. Marco would sleep with Ten when there were storms,
or give him advice about the guards in the Mausoleum. Marco would also get
worked up over Ten’s eating and sleeping habits, even his posture.

 Marco also advised Ten that
the only way to be treated with respect and dignity, he needed to be feared.

Though Marco is also
revealed to have a jealous and hateful side. This is shown when he speaks about
Roman and Seven to Ten. Marco is even shown to react with jealousy when Ten was
with Seven.

Marco’s source of hatred
and jealousy towards Roman and Seven is because he believes that they “wasted”
his sacrifice. Marco killed himself in his battle with Ten, so he would forgo
his humanity and become strong enough to fight for himself. Marco believes that
humanity—affection, companionship, love—is a weakness to Revenants and so they
die the quickest. Marco does not want Ten to die and is against any notion of
Ten’s humanity. Marco believed that if he did not sacrifice himself,
Ten would continue to be unable to kill anyone, and would therefore continue to
be punished by Branson.

 There are times in battle
where Marco “takes over” Ten, which prompts Ten to become incredibly
violent as well as battle with a combination of both their Pulses.

When Marco thinks back on
when he was human, he describes it as being an “absolute hell.” As a Haint,
Marco believes that one can live without people who can’t be trusted or betray
you.

According to Ten, Marco
would have been an activist in the future because he liked “standing up for the
little guy.” Marco would talk about exploitation, child labor, and class
conflict to Ten. Ten described Marco’s voice as one with passion when he spoke
of politics.

## Pulse

Marco’s
Pulse comes from his wrists and are described as “sharp and curved like a
barbed hook.” Marco’s Pulse is described as one that cuts and has
fluid flexibility.

## Death

It is not specifically
revealed how Marco died. It can be assumed that his wrists were somehow harmed
in his manner of death. Marco’s scar on his throat might be before his death,
though nothing is specifically stated.

## Trivia

* Marco was fifteen years old when he met Ten in the Mausoleum. He claimed he had been there “a while,” though it is not known explicitly when Marco was brought to the Mausoleum.
* If Marco had not died prior to the events of Gallows Humor, he would be 23 years old.
* While it is implied that Marco had multiple siblings, he only references one brother.
* Marco would walk in a “twitchy way” when he was restless.
* Marco was described as “a fidgety farm boy with more time than he knows what to do with on his hands.”
* According to Ten, Marco’s “torment” had begun when he was thirteen years old. It is unknown if this is referring to when Marco became a Revenant or when he joined the Mausoleum.
* Ten believes that if Marco had gotten to know Seven, they would have been friends.
* Marco’s first nickname for Ten was EJ, but then he shortened it to jay.

## Quotes

* (To Ten) “*Wake up. I will fight for you. I always have. Remember, remember when we met? I won’t let you die. I promised. And you promised me you wouldn’t die, remember? Keep your promises, even if they hurt, because you’re breaking someone’s trust when you don’t*.”
* (To Ten) “*Your hand is so cold! Do you want to be friends? Ok, then we won’t call it that. Why don’t we be… partners? What if I promise you that I won’t allow anyone to kill you and in exchange… promise me you won’t allow yourself to die. Promise you’ll live*.”
* (To Ten) “*When I was a kid, the farm I lived on used to attract a lot of jays. We had to set up a scarecrow and have one of us kids spray a murder of ‘em with the high-pressure hose. There was one though, that wasn’t scared one bit. He’d peck, peck, peck away at our crops, ignoring us like we weren’t even a concern, but fly away the second we got close. He was a brave little bastard, he was, annoying but persistent. Very distinct feathers he had; very pretty gray, glossy, he was a very healthy bird from living off our crops. One day, though, he was too slow. He was too used to being fed. It made him fat and stupid and reckless. My brother caught him. Ripped him up real good. He used his feathers to spruce up his boots*.”
* (To Roman) “*Revenants are only strong when they abandon their humanity. Those who continue to seek companionship, affection, love, they die the quickest, they suffer the most because this loveless world will turn that weakness against them and crush them remorselessly, without hesitation. After Ten met you again, he began to falter. He began to crack. My sacrifice was wasted because of you*.”
* (To Ten) “*…I don’t mind being in your head. I can protect you from in here. I can keep you safe. But you…you have to let me. This…this happened because you…you chose the girl…because you chose Roman…and back then, too… why? Why did you want so desperately… to be human? What’s so great about being human? From what I remember, it was absolute hell. As a Haint…you don’t need to be hungry, thirsty, tired, or anything. You don’t even have to be scared, if you don’t want to. You can live…entirely without others…without people, who will always betray you, who can’t be trusted. So why…Why are you afraid of the monster? It won’t hurt you. Embrace it. It’s a part of you. It’ll take care of you the way no one ever has. Embrace it. Six thinks love is God, Rome thinks it’s people, Five thinks it’s sex, Two thinks it’s obsession, Three thinks it’s order, but true love can only come from within, because true love is to love one’s self, to live entirely for that self, and you know the truth, you know that the only one capable of truly loving you…is you. It’s you, me, the monster, it’s Nine, it’s Eight, we’re you… we’ll protect you, if only you’ll accept that we are monsters, and a part of you. That you are a monster too. Embrace it. Let go*.”
* “*Surrendering and then meeting you afterwards and then you could tell me what a fool I was. You would slap my wrist and I would apologize, and you would tell me I was a dummy for always trying to play the hero. But then you would never have been able to kill anyone. You would’ve been punished again and again for being unable to do it. You would still have that harmless Pulse you used to have, and you wouldn’t be able to heal like me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, jay. I didn’t want to. But I had to.”*

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Gallows Humor* Chapter 47
2. ↑ *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Shock Values* Chapter 13
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Shock Values* Chapter 24
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Gallows Humor* Chapter 42
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Shock Values* Chapter 65
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Gallows Humor* Chapter 73
7. ↑ *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Shock Values* Chapter 1
8. ↑ *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Gallows Humor* Chapter 67
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Shock Values* Chapter 46
10. ↑ *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Roman’s Numeral* Chapter 16
11. ↑ *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Roman’s Numeral* Chapter 46
12. ↑ *Memoirs of the Mausoleum: Roman’s Numeral* Chapter 52