#narrative archetypes

[analyzecriticize]

Chainsaw Man Anime - The Quest Narrative

Disclaimer: I have not read the manga. This piece is based solely on the anime and what I could get from that. This is just what I noticed, so I could be completely wrong. All media is open to interpretations.

*This post will contain spoilers*

Chainsaw Man is an anime filled to the brim with symbolism and themes that it is really difficult to pick one thing to focus on. For this post, I want to focus on the quest narrative, since it is a simple introduction. The quest narrative is one of the easiest archetypes to spot because it is so widely used. A few points to focus on when it comes to the quest narrative are this:

1. The hero or person doing the quest 

2. A place to go 

3. The reason to go there

4. The challenges they face along the way

5. The real reason they went (what they actually learn at the end that changes them)

From the very first episode, parts 1-3 of the quest are already taken care of. Our hero is obviously Denji, the place to go is wherever the boss tells him to go, and the reason is that he has to pay off the debt left behind by his father/he wants the good things in life eventually (like jam to go with his bread). Where the anime currently is would be part 4, the challenges he faces along the way that leads to what changes him (joining public safety, the fights and relationships he has, the Gun Devil wanting his heart). Since only the first season has come out, part 5 is left unfinished.

Denji could possibly have two quests going on at the same time, depending on where you’d like to begin. 

If you start from when he joins public safety, then his place to go is public safety. The reasons depend on what perspective you take. To Denji, his reasons to work in public safety are to live the good life, form a relationship/touch Makima, and so he doesn’t get killed by public safety. To Makima, it’s because the Chainsaw Devil is very powerful, especially when wielded by Denji, since he has such loose morals. The reason she wants him on Special Division 4 is because he could defeat the Gun Devil with some proper training. Part 4 would be all the battles they are having along the way, each of them teaching Denji something new. As mentioned in episode 12 by the Katana Devil, Denji is getting better at fighting on a regular basis. Much of this is due to experience, but also because of his recent lessons with Kishibe.

No matter which perspective you take, part 5 is still up in the air. I’m sure manga readers have an idea what Denji’s real purpose is and how it changes him, but I’m just not there yet. The big thing is that Denji will eventually learn something that changes him in a big way and he will use that for some means. I hope to read the manga eventually in the original Japanese, but I need to study a bit more first. I’m already looking forward to season 2 so that I can see how his quest changes. Denji is the first character I have come across whose quest is self-motivated to this degree. Many heroes want to save someone or are aiming towards a bigger picture, but Denji is focused solely on his goals and will do whatever to achieve them. It is very refreshing and I’m excited to see how his story fits into the archetype.

If you have any thoughts or things to add, please feel free to leave a comment! Just remember: I have not read the manga and that I am out of practice with analyzing stuff, hence why I picked something so easy for my first. Constructive criticism is welcome, just make sure you can back it up with evidence. Manga readers - please no spoilers.

More info on the quest narrative: How to Teach Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

Anime: Chainsaw Man

Picture: Tower Records 

[cologona]

Yeah nothing Jason does would work in the real world. Good thing he does not live in the real world. He lives in Gotham, which operates on the logic of Hollywood movies from 40 years ago. Oh wait- perhaps that’s integral context for his character!!!

[rawliverandcigarettes]

Thinking about Mass Effect, as you do, and how I'm kind of sad that the way it's been engraved in pop culture has more to do with the way internet reacted to it at the time than what the actual game is about. Yes sure, it's about romance (and not that much all things considered) and it's pulpy (but not solely because of hot lady aliens), but it's also intricate worldbuilding that touches on a lot of sharp ideas, and a complicated tug-of-war between a genuine and vulnerable belief in reconciliation and community VS post 9-11 US military propaganda and steadfast belief in heroic exceptionalism, and the melancholic yet energizing mood, and the daring narrative systems, and so so much more than the 'We'll Bang OKs" and the "There's No Shepard Without Vakarian" and the whole ME3 ending situation

It's all there, but I'm sad the impact of the series is often reduced to (what I think is) the least interesting parts of its sum

[a-total-and-complete-nerd]

Brandon Sanderson: Fantasy vs. Sci-Fi

Almost all of BrandoSando's books straddle the line between the two genres, and after seeing @approximateknowledge's post here, I wondered how they would lay out on that chart. I was also inspired by this fascinating WOB about Skyward's genre. These are just my opinions, so let me know if you agree or what you think you'd change!

[shawnthewonder]

Congratulations to Metaphor Refantazio for winning RPG of the Year!

[possamble]

I do think it's a really valuable exercise for anyone to build a habit where you like... When a dark-skinned character skeeves you out, just take a second to ask yourself where that's coming from. Is it canon character traits or conjecture? Would you react the same way if they were light-skinned?

Maybe, at the end of it, you might be able to pinpoint a real personal reason why you're averse to the character. And that's fair! I just think we all benefit from being honest with ourselves. Sometimes a reflex happens so quietly, you don't notice unless someone points it out. It literally happens to everyone once in a while--lifelong conditioning doesn't go away just because you realized it's wrong to think those things consciously. Don't be so afraid of being wrong that you never examine yourself!

[dandelionjack]

i hope ruby gets a well-that’s-alright-then-style notdeath. on the one hand it will make haters mad because oh no not another companion with an impermanent end (and i like to see haters mad) on the other it would require creativity to depict this in a new way + i love all the implications i love the dark fairytale quality of these companion exits i love my un-undead schrodinger’s women

with the way the legend of ruby sunday is titled… legends aren’t usually told about living people. legends are stories of the bygone past, of an age long since over, fictionalised and overgrown with folklore like barnacles sticking to an abandoned shell. there is such a thing as a living legend, but they’re exceedingly rare. the unmistakeable raven’s call in the 73 yards teaser, the trailer’s cut to fifteen crying alone after promising to cherry he’d protect her daughter… the foreshadowing is clear as day…

and yet. there’s one massive HOWEVER. ruby appears in s15: millie’s been spotted on set filming it. which leads me to believe — the doctor isn’t one to take the time travel route and revisit companions that in his future are genuinely dead. that would hurt too much, it would cause unnecessary trauma and could break the timeline. that must mean ruby stays alive in some way. ish. she’s alive and a legend and a mystery. girl-ballad girl-song girl-paradox

here she is, fading out.

p.s.: thesis statement on moffatgirls from the tags i left on somebody else’s post about charley pollard.. well it belongs here since it’s basically the semiotic hurricane swirling around ruby at the moment :)

[milkbreadtoast]

looking back at the yjh webtoon screencaps i have saved and giggling... hes so cute... moe... my pookie ^___^ 🥰🥰 poor little meow meow woof woo- *eliminated where i stand*

also these poses are sooooo... 꺄아악🖤🫣🫣🫣🫣

[anetherealpoetess]

one of the most fascinating things about the rings of power is how it crashes headlong into the fortress of patriarchal heroism--specifically, the mythology of white male saviours. halbrand's echo of aragorn is no accident. he is intentionally steeped in the same promise of masculine virtue. but where aragorn is a paragon of the trope, halbrand is a subversion. his brand of heroism reveals itself as a trick.

but halbrand is not just featherlight subversion; he is a complete and total dismantling, exposing the hollowness of the archetype and a boundlessly covetous world that only allows for one type of hero to exist. it's surprising that amazon allowed for such a blunt reckoning with the myths our society so carefully props up. the rings of power isn't just a show--it's a question: what if the heart of patriarchic heroism is not goodness, but malevolence?

this is given form by a truly mesmerising performance by charlie vickers. he takes a conservative myth built on patriarchal ideals of heroism and incinerates them with a fervent and seductive glee. he is well-versed in television's deification of a certain shape of men (we all are) and its nostalgia for masculinist high-fantasy, and he takes a gleaming sword to its strictures. it's breathtaking. he will not win any awards for his work. but he should. he really should.

[sometimeswritingsometimesdying]

in the years ive been off tumblr ive done a lot of traditional work so here's one of my favorites <3 it's titled "the epilogue"

oil painting & stitching on canvas, february 2024 (words by me!)

[theomniplayer]

Some work I did on the concept of Players in Meta games and different Archetypes those players may fit into.

I haven’t got a version I’m happy with at the moment but hopefully a final version should come soon.

I think the only one of my original six I think I’m happy with is the Guardian type, which I may have given more thought due to it being my own type. You can see an exploration of a more up to date design near the top. Was trying to go with a techy angel aesthetic.

These are my notes of the current WIP types

Guardian - A player who wants to guide the game world to find a happy ending. (A bit of a mixture of the original guardian type along with the angel type as i realised they where pretty similar) maybe with a bit of emphasis on using the game world to help cope with the complexities or reality and to feel like they’re making a difference

Companion - This one is very self explanatory, a player who wants to befriend the characters and take part in their world. From the feedback I’ve gotten this seems the most common type.

Explorer - (Basically what completionists turned into) people who re playing games to see new things and have new expertises. Both includes people who want to see everything and those who are just curious.

Mentor - The parental type players. They want the best for their characters but can sometimes put what they want for the world over what the people in it actually want. (This one is actual more like the original angel type now I think about it) they look out for their characters needs but there’s also an aspect of control and overprotective-ness. I made this one with Niko from Oneshot in mind.

Puppet master/Overseer - The Player type who views the story world as as a plaything not concerned with what that means for the characters or not. They merely want what is most Intresting or fun. (Probably what the demon/tricker types became only with more of an uncaring attitude then an intentionally malicious one)

`

[featherymainffins]

When the POV character is (a bit of) a cunt and his parallel (who is something he could be if things were different and vice versa) is bound to him inseparably through the sheer power of obsession and the refusal to let go, creating a power dynamic that can be likened only to Munchausen by proxy but exhibited by Aesop's frog and scorpion.

Well I think that's a little bit gay. In a very bad way.

[hazellvsq]

was thinking about octavian’s character and how it could’ve been fixed, and i think he had a general zhao (from atla) problem. a character set up to be a recurring, serious threat who is also consistently treated as a punchline will end up as a punchline. atla stuck the landing much better with general zhao by actually coming up with a memorable ending for the character whereas octavian's death is quite literally slapstick that is also supposed to be something that pov characters care about or feel guilty over. i don’t think octavian needed to have depth, but he did need to feel convincingly threatening, and that’s a lot harder to pull off when rick also needs to let percy have 3 snarky one liners per chapter.

[evercelle]

was going through your ouma tag and noticed your ouma art with "all the world's a stage" and immediately thought of your isat fanart w siffrin "return to the stage" (im so sorry if im butchering the quotes lol) and now im rly thinking of ouma and siffrin being similar!! what do you think?

let's seeee.... a little flippy-haired guy dressed in white who's burdened with being Too Genre Saavy, and who gets progressively less :3 and more :| as the game wears through their repeated failures to prevent the violence and death of their friends until they decide to take matters in their own hands, thus accelerating them down the path of total isolation and self-destruction... am i describing ouma or sif? yes

[anthyies]

you guys should read the secret design of the traitor baru cormorant if you haven't already btw. spoilers for traitor but here are the mostly nonspoilery bits to convince you to read the book and then the blog post

[dino--draws]

talking with jean and teal and abby has sparked the formation of a fucked up headcanon relating to a secret second way McDoctorate could've gotten fucked over by INTEGER but i have to doodle visuals anytime i write down headcanons and im in LECTURE so i CANT. SHRIEKS.