GrandAdmiralSean8, you have given this a great deal more thought than most people on this site (myself included) wouldn't even think of even attempting. And for that, I applaud you.

I'll say, the best thing I'd thought of was a Discworld joke.

I was doing a routine refresh and I saw a white screen with a huge black bar.

GrandAdmiralSean8 said:
Long awesome text

You sir are the reason I instantly faved this picture

saito000 said:
You sir are the reason I instantly faved this picture

Same.

Jesus I hope that was a parody.

Well... they say that the viewer's interpretation is just as valid as the author's.
But I still think it's just a case of the curtains were fucking blue.

GrandAdmiralSean8 said:

Yep, I was joking. Sorry; I thought the last sentence would clarify my intentions, but in retrospect, I suppose few people would have the stamina to read that far....

even though you were joking, You did a Good job analyzing the art and finding the subtle meanings of the details. as student I studied quite a few painting to find out what the artist was meaning with the details and i had to write reports about the meaning of the details and how the went with the flow of the picture. so I do say, Good job with your report, even if it was only a joke you still did a through analysis of the picture.

Have been wanting to say this a long time but when I first saw this post GrandAdmiralSean8's post was already a year old so yeah haven't poked on it, whatever at this point then, I guess.

Main problem I see with GrandAdmiralSean8's analysis is simple: Urobuchi did NOT do any of the character designs and Aoki Ume was NOT fully informed of the plot when asked to do the design(at least she didn't even know Mami was going to die), that alone rules out all symbolisms which the character's design may hold because she explicitly claimed that her only intention when designing them are to make them look appealing.

My analysis would be that Mami is admiring her own appearance in the mirror. The slight smile being the satisfaction she is trying to hold back that she can finally appreciate herself for who she is, after all the years she spent alone with presumably intense self-loathing.

With the meeting of Madoka and Sayaka, she can finally be someone who is admired by the others, someone others looked up to with respect. Her prior lonely efforts and labour of protecting the town is finally paid off.

But ironically, at a stark contrast of her being in blissful delight, Mami is unaware of death which is standing behind her, about to take her life as Charlotte had. The only time she can come to appreciate herself for who she is ultimately leads to carelessness that costs her own life. At the very moment she reaches the peak of her happiness, she is to die. If any author is to be reflected with this theme, it is definitely Edgar Allen Poe, who had so far killed like more than half of the heroines in his own stories, all of which died when they are at the peak of their beauty and glory.