Tir N'a Nog

22, mythology lover, medieval ages, pokemon from gen1-7 (exclude usum&lgpe), berserk manga, messy-edited photos.

[echo-from-the-void]

The choice between the town mouse and the country mouse - Makima and Reze

In Chainsaw Man Makima and Reze are presented as two love interests for Denji. He struggles to choose one of them, as this slightly erotic color page demonstrates. However I think Makima and Reze are not only simple interests, but they also represent different things and ways of life. So Denji is making a choice between the two people and the manner of life, that they represent. Their ways of life are also tied into the fable of the town mouse and country mouse, that is introduced during the Bomb Girl arc. To better understand this overall dynamic, it is good to inspect more closely what kind of people Makima and Reze are, and how they behave around Denji. I will then address on what side they stand on when it comes to fable. I will start the post by inspecting Makima first and then proceeding to Reze. The overall structure of the post is the following one:

- Makima and Denji’s humanity

- Makima and the live of the town mouse

-Reze and the normal live of a human being

-Reze and the live of the country mouse

-Conclusion

Makima and Denji`s humanity

Makima`s relationship and overall dynamic towards Denji (from what is shown so far) is fascinating. At one hand Makima is the first person to treat Denji as a person, not shunning away from him because he might smell or look weird. In a later instance Denji starts to ponder, why he reacts so coldly and without emotion towards the death of some of his comrades. He suspects that after fusing with Pochita and him now seemingly residing in his heart, he might have “lost his heart” and thus lost his humanity. The story comes back to this question in chapter 39, when Denji is on a movie date with Makima. After watching many hit-and-miss movies that were kind of bland, Makima and Denji finally see one, that generates a huge emotional response. Both Makima and Denji end up cry during the movie. This makes Denji ask Makima if he does have a heart. Makima leans towards him, listening to Denji`s heartbeat and she confirms, that Denji indeed has a beating heart. 

Denji takes this as confirmation that he indeed has a heart and thus, maybe some form of humanity. This makes him do a couple of slightly humorous acts in the following chapter, where he gives money to people raising funds to help children, since that is something a person with a heart, aka a human would do. This also seems to make Denji in his own opinion, also able appreciate beautiful things such as a flower. So with this in mind, one could see that Makima is a positive influence in Denji´s life. She cheers him up when he is down and represents a goal and reason to live for Denji. She also reminds Denji of his humanity.

继续阅读

[echo-from-the-void]

Chainsaw Man Chapter 80

I`d like to offer a few quick comments about Chainsawm Man chapter 80. It is a simple scene, but I think it quite well illustrates how much Aki`s death bothers Denji. Our protagonist is returning from a store after buying bunch of things. One of these items is an ice cream. One could consider ice cream as an dessert, and thus a luxurious food. However as Denji is reminded that he was the one who killed Aki, he vomits the ice cream. Denji is a character who lived a good chunk of his life within extreme poverty. So things such as getting enough food every day was a constant struggle. 

So when Denji`s body reject such a food, it is a huge sign of the internal turmoil, that shakes him. It think this scene is also interesting, since before Denji was concerned that he had lost his humanity, because the deaths of his comrades did not evoke any particular strong emotions. Now it seems that he still feels human emotions.

I think the portion of the chapter that revolves around Makima is very interesting. This once again is pure speculation from my part, since not many details of Makima`s goals or thoughts have been revealed. The way how she approaches Denji can be seen from different perspectives. On one hand, she is just someone who concerned about the mental health of her subordinate. Makima helps Denji recover his mental state, and this is something she has also done in the past. However, the cynical mind views this as sophisticated manipulation. Makima has called Denji her “dog” numerous times, and from a thematic standpoint it is very fitting, that she is the owner of many dogs. They represent loyalty and faithfulness in art. They wear collars and take orders from humans, resulting in a negative associations of a human, seen as someone`s loyal “dog”. In her apartment she shows good care and much love towards her pets. 

This could be read as Makima showcasing, what kind of good life her “dogs” have in store for them. After the warm encounter with his boss, Denji decides that the wish he wishes to be granted, is to be Makima`s dog. This is a very peculiar statement, since Denji in a sense has already filled this role. In the beginning of the series, the choice for him was to become Makima`s dog or to be eliminated. However this choice could be seen as partially involuntary, since at the other end of the scale, death waited for Denji. A form or pressure was applied into the decision. However here, Denji uses the wish granted by Makima, to become a dog out of his seemingly free will. With his own free hands Denji puts the collar around his neck, and gives his life to Makima.

It is quite possible that I am overthinking this way too much, but this could be viewed as a victory for Makima. This type of control, where a person willingly become one`s servant is very powerful. It is more deeply rooted than a straightforward order. Because I suppose if Makima wanted, she could just easily exert her control over Denji, since she is the Control Devil. This power is immense, since it even exerts control over individuals who have already died. However with this type of manipulation, I think Makima accomplishes a more powerful form of control, something similar used by Santa Claus. Santa Claus had a contract with the Doll Devil, and they explain how to make the perfect puppet:

You could use Makima`s power and control people in a straightforward manner, but it lacks a certain elegance and deep rootedness, that is present in Santa Claus method. The emotions also described by Santa Claus can only be evoked in a human. With this in mind, Makima`s actions become also interesting. It could well be possible that Makima is only concerned about Denji`s well being. However, as I argued in a previous post Makima is both the endorser and denier of Denji`s humanity. By evoking Denji`s humanity, maybe Makima`s goal is to instill these similar feelings into Denji, which she can then use to control him even more powerfully.

Of course once again this is just speculation from part. Makima is an interesting character, since she can be both utterly ruthless but very compassionate and warm, at the same time. Maybe her goals about Denji reside in some middle ground between these extreme ends.

[echo-from-the-void]

The burden of free will and conscience - Chainsaw Man CH 81

In this post I`d like to offer a few thoughts regarding Denji and Makima. The crux of this post will be dedicated to what happens in chapter 81, but I`ll expand it to cover Denji`s and Makima`s overall relationship. The last chapter ended with Makima granting any wish Denji desires. Denji decided that he wished to be Makima`s dog. As I wrote earlier, I found this statement peculiar since in away Denji already fills this role. However, in the new chapter Denji goes into a bit more detail on what he views being Makima`s dog entails. In Denji´s mind being a “dog” entails giving up one`s will or intellect for the other. Denji`s head is filled with all sorts of thoughts, which give him anxiety. I read the thoughts to mean these few particular things. 

First off, I think Denji´s thought process has become more complex and varied. As he himself explains, before the only things he needed to think about, was how not to die. 

This mindset was the result of a Denji living in extreme poverty and being afraid of death, as the debt collectors harassed him. Because of this his mind was rooted in completing basic instinctual desires and wishes, such as having enough food, shelter, a bath and romantic encounters. However now that Denji made a contract with Makima and the Bureau, all these basic instincts are being taken care of and granted. I think that because Denji does not have to worry about these things as much anymore, this gives him the chance to grow and learn, which I think he has done. There is even a comedic chapter where Denji and Power start to use more of their head like “intelligent characters, as they spar with their mentor. 

The encounter with Reze is also important, since she questions if living with the bare minimum is such a good thing. When presented with statements such as these, Denji`s head start to hurt, since “he has been thinking too hard.”

The other thing that has started to grow in Denji is likely some form of conscience or emotional intellect. In the beginning of the series after his fusion with Pochita, Denji was afraid that the fusion had possible negative side effects. After many of his comrades died, Denji did not feel any particularly strong feelings of grief or anger about it, emotions that would be awoken in a human or a “normal” person. This lead Denji to suspect that he had lost his humanity, as a result of the fusion. While this might have been the case in the beginning, Denji has developed a conscience and become more complex when it comes to emotions. Denji has had experiences with different people, and some of these people are so close, that he could call them as his friends. His humanity has also been evoked and stirred by Makima. After watching a movie Denji asks Makima if he has a heart, to which Makima replies by listening to his heartbeat. This confirms both that Denji has an actual heart and could also see as a symbolic gesture, of Denji still being “human”. I think chapter 71 and Denji`s choice to not go with Makima on a vacation (to take care of the mentally scared power) are examples, which illustrate that he is no longer completely driven by his basic desires. 

Chapter 71 also ends with a Denji coming to realize that could have been able to emphasize with his enemies, and he finds this thought scary.

So to sum up this portion, I think Denji has grown and attained these following qualities:

-        More complex thought chains that consider a variety of things, and are not always rooted to basic desires.

-        Emotional intelligence and a form of conscience. Denji has started to realize the good and the bad in life, how painful and difficult the line between them is, and how he might even feel sorry for his enemies, if he would know them.

继续阅读

[echo-from-the-void]

Ignorance is bliss

During the story arc where the international assassins come after Denji, I think the series introduces interesting elements. This comes up during the discussion between Kishibe and Quanxi. Kishibe is trying to make a deal with Quanxi, and get her help to stand against Makima. However Quanxi refuses and tells a story, which illustrates in her opinion to be the key, to happy life. She mentions an new`s anchor which she saw on television. Quanxi took a liking to this anchor, and started following the new`s regularly because of her. However an incident about the anchor was discovered, and after this Quanxi stopped watching the news. The secret to a happy life according to Quanxi, is the bliss of ignorance. Quanxi then advice`s that Kishibe should keep his collar on. 

Ignorance is a bliss has different applications in the series. During combat it can be an useful tool. When Denji is fighting against the dolls made by Santa Claus, he is unable to fight them since they act like normal humans. However Quanxi advice`s Denji, that they are only imitating human emotions. When Denji asks how does Quanxi know this, she replies that she does not. However if Denji accepts this he will be able to kill them, and so according to Quanxi Denji must become a “fool”. 

In essence Denji must become ignorant of his opponents humanity, in order to engage them. He needs to stop “thinking”. 

继续阅读

[echo-from-the-void]

Peaceful ignorance

In chapter 84 the reader gets some more insight into Makima`s character and what her plans are. According to Makima herself, she wants to create a better world with the power of Chainsaw Man. If I understood her correctly, the way how Makima will achieve this said goal is the following one: most concepts, objects, groups, people and things that a feared, seem to have a corresponding devil. You can also see the change of historical context with devils, since beings such as “a gun devil” came into existence. What puts Chainsaw Man apart from these devils and makes them fear him, is that all the devils names devoured by Chainsaw Man will be erased from existence. This erasure is so powerful that even the memories of individuals are being affected. What remains a bit of a mystery, is if the phenomena attached to the devil itself will also disappear. From my understanding, the information and memory of the concept will disappear, but not the concept itself.

Makima then lists different horrible things like warfare, hunger and death, that plague humankind. If one would feed the devils that correspond to these concepts or phenomena, then the memory and overall information about them would likely disappear. By erasing information regarding these concepts, I think that Makima wants to achieve a form of utopia. In this utopia people no longer remember or know that these bothersome things exist, so in a sense they can live “peacefully”. However while this sounds virtuous and those are things humanity would like to live without, I think this is another form of ignorance is bliss. In this peace people would simply become ignorant of all the bad things that are present in the world. This connects with Quanxi`s comment and what might be considered one of the themes of the series, how one is only able to achieve a happy life by being ignorant. 

However as I stated in an earlier post, at times humans need to confront and process bad things in life, in order to grow. Denji`s growth was likely thanks to both the good things and the bad things, that he had encountered in his life. However he decided to surrender his freedom, so that he would not have to think about bad things anymore, and thus negated his growth. In a way I think Makima wants to reduce humanity into a similar state of childhood. She is like an overprotective parent, that stops her children from facing bad things and thus holds the child´s growth. 

Maybe this is the horrible peace that the president in an earlier chapter mentioned. It will certainly be “peace”, buts its cost will be great. As @aspoonofsugar​ pointed out, it will be a world without fear but also a world without free will.      

[echo-from-the-void]

Belief in the hero leads to his destruction - Interpretation of CSM Ch 89

Back in chapter 83 when Makima first summons Chainsaw Man in its full power, the way that Makima summons him puzzled me. The word choice is that of “save me”, as if Makima was a heroine and Denji/Chainsaw Man a hero that saves the day. She easily could have used other ways to phrase the command, such as “kill the soldiers attacking me”. I also wonder if the fire power demonstrated by the anti-Makima squad would be enough to kill her, and if she wanted, Makima could have wiped them all out herself. However now with the recent revelations of chapter 89, I think the word choice was on purpose. With this the series also seems to invert the common trope of “believing in the hero”.

I think Makima, maybe as some sort of back up plan if she does not manage to defeat and enslave Chainsaw Man trough combat, planned the countermeasure seen in chapter 89. As is explained in the very beginning of the series, when the name and image of a devil becomes feared, its power increases as well. Coffee does not have an scary image, so the devil which it would spawn would not be powerful. 

The Gun Devil manifested itself as people used guns to kill devils. The overall image of guns as something terrifying increased, and as a terrorist attack happened in America the Gun Devil finally appeared. The fear felt towards the Gun Devil was so powerful on global scale, that all devils gained a power up. Different states tried to control the power of the Gun Devil, by introducing gun control laws and restricting reporting on guns and disasters. Thus the perceived image and fear towards the devil, is where devils get their power. 

However with her actions, Makima has reverse engineered this phenomena. Within the consciousness of the global public, the Gun Devil represented the ever looming villain. This is also the space that it inhabited within the minds of readers of the manga. So when Makima asks Denji to kill the Gun Devil, she likely had two goals in mind. First when she introduces the favor, she gains control of Denji by manipulating his desires and emotions. Second, by having the Chainsaw Man/Chainsaw Devil kill such sinister villain as the Gun Devil, she changes the perceived image of Chainsaw Man. 

Instead of a terrifying entity Chainsaw Man becomes a hero, and there is no reason to be afraid of a hero. As Makima observes from Kobeni, her fear towards Chainsaw Man has decreased. Since the populace as large do not fear Chainsaw Man, its source of power is cut off.

继续阅读

[elshollzia]

Bleu!

[elshollzia]

Bathroom is a nice place to read books.🚿🛀🏻🛁🚽🧻📚

[elshollzia]

Tranquility.

[silphwave]

Fossil Island

[a-hellenic-poetry-blog]

“Now, as Daphnis dies, may the bushes bloom into violets and the wild thorns along the good narcissus, may they grow together in the field. Let everything be upside down, let pears grow on the pine and let the deers hunt the hounds, and let the owls on the mountains compete and win against the nightingales in song. Let it now stop, my Muses, the bucolic song. Those were said by Daphnis and then he became silent. Aphrodite had wanted to rouse him but his life’s thread had been ended. The river came closer and covered in its torrents Daphnis- so much loved by the Muses and Nymphs. Let it now stop, my Muses, the bucolic song. And you (goatherd), bring me the goat and a pale, so that I milk her and offer the milk, to the Muses. Fare well, my Muses, till next time, I will make sure my song is sweeter.”

—

Theocritus/Θεόκριτος

from Idyll I (continued underneath)

[elshollzia]

Love Idyll I so much... And so hard to translate :( Finally my work is nearly done✓

[drowningparty]

“With one breath he lifts me up and quickly whisks me away, like a leaf that is stirred by light winds and lives only for a day.”

— Theocritus’ Idyll No. 30.

[thoodleoo]

really here for that ancient bucolic poetry aesthetic

idyllic landscapes

beautiful imagery of fields filled with grass and flowers and herds

watching sheep and goats graze while you sit under the shade of a tree and play your pipes and pine after your lover

talk of freshly-pressed cheese and nuts and other rural delights

shepherds singing about their (frequently gay) crushes

[elshollzia]

My darling would be lying at my side among the willows, and under the creeping vine above – Phyllis plucking me flowers for a garland, Amyntas singing me songs. Here are cold springs, Lycoris, here soft meadows, here woodland; here with you, only the passage of time would wear me away.

[elshollzia]

Island of North.

[shrapnelstars]

Predictably, people are throwing around the word “entitled” when it comes to video games again, and the Pokemon fandom was already notorious for telling people to “shut up and be grateful for what you have”.

NO.

It isn’t “entitled” to expect quality for the MONEY YOU ARE SPENDING ON A PRODUCT. It isn’t entitled to expect a product creator to keep up their end of a transaction. Sword and Shield are actually going to cost more money for less content. Players are expected to spend $60 on the game, then pay an extra recurring fee to use the online functionality, which has always been free in past games, and then you are expected to pay recurring for Pokemon Home on top of that if you want to get your Pokemon off of the 3DS before it dies. From Home, the Pokemon have nowhere to go, as the trip from 3DS to Home is one way. You must then keep paying for Home and hope that in the next 2-4 years, the rest of your collection is able to be transferred to the next games. Due to the new GF policy of scrubbing the Pokemon data for each game going forward, that is not promised. Your collection will get splintered across several generations, with Home being the only app where they are confirmed to be all in one place, and the cost is recurring. There is no promise that Sword and Shield have to be compatible with Gen 4 remakes or whatever comes next, so hoarding parts of your collection on a cartridge and hoping for trading to save you isn’t even necessarily viable. And even in the trading scenario, you have to still pay for the Switch Online subscription, so you’re being charged extra either way.

Meanwhile, at E-FUCKING-3, we have been shown pivoting models, like back in Gen 6 on the 3DS. We have been shown that the older Pokemon models were all imported from 3DS and still have their same animations. We have been shown that there are still generic attack animations. We have been shown models popping into existence, some with massive lag. We have been shown lighting errors on terrain and trees. WE HAVE BEEN SHOWN WINGULLS T-POSING, PIVOTING, AND SLIDING ACROSS THE MAP. I AM NOT PAYING $60 FOR THAT. If they couldn’t handle it, they should have delayed the game to make it better, or reduced the price to match what they were able to produce. And if Nintendo was pressuring them into a release this year, then this is their fault, too. There is no excuse for the mess that was shown, and then having the Dex get cut just to even reach that quality. DELAY THIS GAME.

[elshollzia]

As for PKMN Sword and Shield...

Gamefreak is too much more spoiled by players without any standards. So as a result came the Sword and Shield version.

Just because Pokemon IS Pokemon, no matter how awful the new versions are, people will buy it without any hesitant and still praise them as if they are the best game among all. Plz just listen to their explanations, do they make any sense? "It is like the new region is too cold that some of your pokemon have to stay in Pokemon Home", "To build up models for every pokemons are really a hard and tough work so we have to cut off the numbers to make sure models and animations for the rest are delicate", "the core of pokemon is pokeballs and no evil pokemon(srry for I don't know the wordchoice of the official translated english interview, I only read the version in my mothertongue)"et cetera. I bet they are insane especially Mr Masuda, who always speaks nonsense and offends hardcore pokemon lovers.

I am sure that in my country most of the pokemon lovers cannot stand Gamefreak any longer if they continued to make shit like this, and we voice on every forums and platforms we can find. We even came to leave comments under Masuda's twitter. But it is confirmed that, sadly things won't change even a little bit. We even heard rumors like Gamefreak is struggling to get rid of Nintendo so that's why they focus on new ips(e.g. Town) and will ruin pokemon till it is like a shit.

To "reassure parents" they disappointed us with Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, to "give rookie a chance " they "granted" us USM, and finally came the Sword and Shield. To pressure Gamefreak, the best way is not to buy it, at least not to buy the first edition. I can resist Let's Gos and resisting Sword and Shield won't be a problem.