yoiiyoii

[yoiiyoii]

🌲🌲 Demon Slayer and Trees 🌲🌲

FULL disclaimer, it was a friend of mine who talked about this a while ago, I am merely stealing from him because I think it deserves more attention

Demon Slayer loves describing people as trees explicitly or implicitly. Tanjurou, for instance, was like a tree, because he was gentle and sturdy.

For Akaza, the Selfless-State Tanjirou was like a tree.

The state of anatta or anatma, where there is no "self", a Buddhist principle. That's the state Tanjirou attained and the state Tanjurou was always in (would I be wrong in saying Tanjurou was perhaps a reincarnation of Yoriichi?? Topic for another day).

Here's where it gets interesting.

Genya using Kokushibou's BDA which results in him rooting Kokushibou to the ground.

Despite being firmly held and rooted, Kokushibou describes it as "crumbling". I think trees in KNY symbolize more than just gentle and sturdy, but rather the fact that trees have roots and brances.

A past, and a future. A source of your humanity, and giving birth to new buds.

You know who else was like a tree?

Yoriichi, not even in death, could be "crumbled". That's what Kokushibou is reminded of. He stayed upright, unlike Koku who started crumbling merely by being held down. Kokushibou has no roots, no family, no humanity. He gave all that up in pursuit of longevity.

However, that meant he'd not just be alone, but also never have any legacy like KNY so emphasizes. A legacy like Yoriichi who could create the Sun Breathing and its branches.

Unlike Yoriichi, Koku never even believed others would surpass him. He thought the Sengoku era would forever be the greatest.

Yoriichi however, did. He WANTED people to surpass him. While no singular person did manage to surpass him, it was the collectivism of all the humans, slayers, hashiras, who could take muzan down.

All his branches of breathing styles and people he saved including Tamayo and Sumiyoshi's family and the new buds that grew through that, was what led to Muzan's end. Yoriichi was therefore the tree that was sturdy and never fell even after death.

It seems fitting that Koku was taken down because of Genya's tree holding him down.

After all, Koku's sword does resemble the Hinokami dance sword. A sword with branches like a tree.

It also seems fitting that Tanjirou's Sun Breathing was so effective against Muzan. The Kamados are charcoal burners, so they're especially close to trees. Of course Tanjirou's the only Sun breather and Nezuko's the only demon that can withstand the sun.

I'm not sure if I've missed anything, so please so let me know if I have!!

[yoiiyoii]

[note: kanzaburo is giyuu's crow]

"do not write a rant about giyuu and his damn crow this is stup-" and here we go again (note: I might genuinely sound delusional)

kanzaburo ending up with giyuu out of everyone in the demon slayer corps is not the coincidence people think it is. the reason giyuu is so miserable is because of his perceived weakness and inability to protect others. kanzaburo reports inaccurate directions due to his old age which results in giyuu arriving late to missions along with you know- FAILING TO SAVE PEOPLE. they gave the only crow in the entire corps who messes up directions to the dude whose trauma revolves around never managing to protect others oh my god. what makes this so interesting though is that giyuu still has it in him to care for his crow. giyuu is someone who takes demon slaying very seriously and logically, he'd dislike his crow because he sucks in like every aspect when it comes to his job because gosh imagine the amount of stress giyuu probably feels. imagine you're fighting a demon and your fuckass crow appears out of nowhere and starts limping around in the battlefield completely oblivious to what's happening. I'm betting my life that he's the real reason giyuu died before he reached 25. but he doesn't. sure, he stresses him out and makes him fail his principles and purpose in life, but he still cares about him. you can see that in the manga. I'm surprised that kanzaburo isn't dead honestly. according to google, the average lifespan for crows is around eight years which approximately is the amount of time giyuu has been in the corps. assuming that the crow has been with him since the beginning of his career, he's this 🤏 close to dropping dead on the floor. maybe he was raised in captivity and as a result has a longer lifespan than a normal crow. point is, he's old as shit. his crow sucking at his job can also sort of mirror giyuu's definitely not delusional beliefs because how do all the other demon slayers have crows who can function perfectly and he doesn't. giyuu believes that he isn't a demon slayer (common sense atp) so kanzaburo also being inadequate at his job can mirror his belief of not being worthy of being a demon slayer. does this make sense? no? im reaching? I give up on logic. kanzaburo indirectly saving him from an encounter from muzan (by fucking up the directions) also reinforces his whole "I'm always protected by others" belief which has been plaguing him for god knows how long. but honestly, its impressive how giyuu still manages to work with his crow. despite the lack of reliable details provided by kanzaburo, giyuu rarely arrives late on missions. he learns how to deal with his crow's shenanigans and figures out the actual location of his missions after realizing the one with him is inaccurate which proves that giyuu is a pretty adaptable person.

interestingly, kanzaburo considers tanjiro's presence similar enough to giyuu's to the point that he confuses them and you can tell that giyuu is really gentle on him based of the way he treats him and how he's so timid. their bond is adorable asf. I love how kanzaburo is so shy yet unbothered compared to other crows especially tanjiro's (his name is too long for my brain to remember). tanjiro's crow literally refers to him as his disciple while giyuu's refers to him by his first name showing how close they are. no because tanjiro's crow's dramatically serious demeanor would work with giyuu perfectly while kanzaburo's more laid back and meek vibe would be compatible with tanjiro's but the original dynamics still manage to work perfectly.

[yoiiyoii]

very low energy rough sketch for kubera! they have officially plagued me. reading for the first time, falling petals and your justice and mine changed the trajectory of my life i think (im in n20 at the time of posting, starting king of snakes soon). cause i felt the same as leez for all of it, trying to believe so hard

and also because i am south asian myself, so "asha" meaning "hope" was just so forefront in my brain that i kept and kept hoping it was all okay in the end and that asha had a reason (CONSIDERING THE WHOLE STORY IS ABOUT THE POWER OF NAMES, YOU KNOW. YES I FEEL BETRAYED ON A PERSONAL LEVEL). well, she did have a reason, but, yeah... still cheering for her

[yoiiyoii]

Things that went through my head while watching this episode:

--Heeey, it's the Trash Talk episode

--And then yeah, they didn't spend this whole episode talking smack, they did burst out into a fight, with multiple stages, with seven fighters… all… simultaneously interacting… reacting to the actions of those around them… with quick and smooth angle changes and character expressions and actions and developments and free-moving character design details… all while making us taste Tanjiro's intense fear…

--…

--wow

--yeah

--I have no right to try to put into words

--this hell of a job Ufotable has done

--my gosh.

--………………….

--Pheeeeew.

--I think I'm just taking this one in.

--Oh hi there Kyojuro

[yoiiyoii]

the memories of tsugikuni twins' are false and their narratives are distorted. they both tell the readers about their past from their perspectives through which we learn about their family and lives and most importantly we learn about them as people not only through the details and events of their childhood but through the way they talk about it. in michikatsu's case he downplays his love and tenderness towards his brother calling the flute he gave him junk (the symbol of their brotherhood)

while yoriichi paints it with love and focuses only on the positives without blaming or digging up others' flaws in tandem with his personality that credits everyone but himself with grace

all of this to say that neither of them is a reliable narrator. they are written so well that like any real person they are biased and both experience shared experiences individually and differently

[yoiiyoii]

hey uhh is anyone into kubera. especially asha rahiro she's eating up my brain

[yoiiyoii]

giyuu and depression (tw: suicide and depression)

a) depressed mood: this one is a no brainer. from the beginning till almost the end of the series, giyuu is trapped in a constant state of misery due to losing sabito. the official reports solidify this and prove that it's not only the audience that notices how sad he is.

obanai is irritated by giyuu's sorrowful state and tengen also shares that feeling. tengen's description however, flawlessly hits the nail on the head. "he always looks like he's at a funeral" is such a dreadfully eerie reference to how giyuu never moved on from sabito's death.

chapter 131 also proves this as giyuu states that his depression would sometimes get so bad, he couldn't function or get out of bed. I will be showing this panel later at some point.

b) diminished interest in all activities: in giyuu's case, he didn't lose all happiness instantly, but it appeared as his depression worsened.

in chapter five of the second light novel, when shinobu asks giyuu to join them and have fun, he initially refuses. when he is eventually forced into playing with them, at no point does he feel happy or even entertained in the slightest. hell, when mitsuri tickles him, the first thing he does is freeze in horror.

all pillars seem to find pleasure in slaying demons. some of them smile and even giggle while fighting. others don't shut up about how fun it is. giyuu is the complete opposite as he states that he finds no pleasure in fighting demons, if anything he hates it. he canonically is the only pillar who never smiled mid fight/battle

he gets irritated when tanjiro stops water breathing because he wanted tanjiro to replace him so that he can retire. this proves that giyuu lost all interest in everything, even demon slaying, something that he has dedicated his entire life to.

c) changes in apetite (this one might be weird): giyuu loves eating. this should be common sense because half of his panels are of him eating simmered salmon but his relationship with that damn dish specifically seems to stem from a desperate desire to feel joy because his attachment to it is ...concerning. I am being fully serious when I say that he eats literally nothing else. in the manga, he always eats salmon. in the gaiden, he eats salmon. in the LN chapter I referenced earlier, the reason he was late to the meeting was because he was eating salmon and at the end of the chapter, he plans of inviting sanemi out for eating salmon. FB1 states that his favorite thing ever is salmon. I mean sure, he eats soba noodles that one time but that's because tanjiro chose the dish. and somehow, he never gets bored of salmon. wanting to eat your favorite dish is pretty understandable but in his case, it's implied that he eats salmon for the sake of wanting to feel happy not simply because it's his favorite

he has three different dishes around him along with tea and he consumes none of them. judging off of the positions of the dishes, it seems like he tried eating but gave up in the end. so he probably doesn't eat when he's too depressed. I also noticed that compared to other male characters who share similar body types and heights as him, giyuu is sort of underweight? listen listen. I do NOT condone the fandom portraying giyuu as a twink but like... 69 kg is a bit too little for a 176 cm, 21 year old man who slices demons' head off for a job.

conclusion: giyuu isn't a big fan of food and he eats salmon because he wants to feel some sort of happiness. do NOT twist my words or think that I condone people portraying him as a twink.

d,e,f) insomnia, fatigue, and issues with focusing: I discussed all these topics in an ancient post of mine. it's linked.

(additional note: in the panel above, all the food is shown spilled on the floor in close proximity to him and yet, he still doesn't bother enough to clean it up. this proves that he gets so depressed, he literally can't maintain basic hygiene.)

g) feelings of guilt and worthlessness: do I need to explain this? regret is the biggest theme to his character. he always blames himself for any misfortune that happens to him or his loved ones due to his low self esteem. after losing his sister, giyuu carries extreme survivor's guilt due to her death which worsens after losing sabito as well. this leads him to believing that he's responsible for their deaths and he constantly tries freeing himself of his regret. along with that, he (clearly) suffers from inferiority complex and believes that he does not deserve to be a pillar, let alone a demon slayer. this seems to be something that is engraved in giyuu's core because when he sees tanjiro "dead", the first thing he does is blame himself.

h) suicidal ideation: giyuu is suicidal and anyone who denies that has the media literacy of a chair. he canonically has been ideating death since he was a child and sabito had to explain to him why wishing to die is not normal. and while his guilt plays a role in it, saying that it's the only reason he desires death is sort of dumb because at the end, he still wishes death upon himself. giyuu saw life as a privilege that he does not deserve due to believing that he robbed his sister and best friend of theirs and as a result, loses all will to live and ideates suicide. he clearly has no regard for his life and is incredibly sacrificial as we see him put his life on the line for tanjiro and nezuko, 2 kids he barely had any connection with. additionally, him wanting to abandon his position is a signal that giyuu has given up on living. giyuu's will to live depended on demon slaying and after sabito's death, he focused on training to give himself a reason to live so that his depression wouldn't consume him.

but as his depression worsened and his dedication (ie the only thing keeping him alive) betrayed him, he waits until someone (tanjiro) masters water breathing so that he can abandon his position and effectively rid himself of any reason to continue living

another depression criteria: symptoms have to significantly impact social, personal, and work life. giyuu isolates himself from everyone around him due to criteria G (regret) and ends up being an outcast which affects his social life. he loses all interest in his job and his depression clearly impacts his health and well being so he meets the criteria successfully.

after note: giyuu meets most of, if not all the criteria for depression. some of the things here might not make sense but even if you exclude them and only include things directly stated, he would still meet the criteria for the disorder. I wanted to post this for half an eternity but I wasn't sure about how people would feel about this and now I don't care

[yoiiyoii]

Hey. Hey, psst, Shueisha. Remember that time back when Mugen Ressha was coming out so you published a couple chapters of Gaiden in Shounen Jump leading up to that? Yeah, that was pretty cool. You know what was even cooler was the one-shot you got Gotouge to write. Yeah, that one. It was also very nifty that you included that, and some new Taisho Secrets straight from the gator in a booklet for the movie's release.

You know. Just saying. I remember. Just saying it was pretty cool of you to do that.

[yoiiyoii]

mini analysis inspired by @h0pebloomedfromtheabyss 's giyuu posts

giyuu's eye contact but specifically with tanjirou

we start off with the first time giyuu puts his heart out to tanjirou and nezuko--the sepukku moment. it's only tanjirou looking at giyuu, giyuu looking straight down

then we move on to ep26, tanjirou getting a chance to thank giyuu, and while giyuu maintains eye contact for when tanjirou's speaking, he looks away while he's speaking himself. it's particularly sweet to me because it's the first time giyuu truly spoke to tanjirou outside of a battle context.

and finally the taisho secret of HTA ep2 where giyuu faces tanjirou, smiles, and asks him if he wants to eat (his fav food!!) together. by hashira training arc he's full fledged opening his heart to tanjirou and i love that.

[yoiiyoii]

humorous detail about sabigiyuu that definitely did not leave me roaming around my room in shock for 10 minutes 😇

see that hexagonal things on his sword? in the first fan book, it was stated that both his hilt guard and patterned side of his haori take inspiration from tortoises (which are well known for their long life spans) and hence, symbolize longevity. this foreshadows giyuu being one of the two pillars who survived the final battle and how this dude never seems to die no matter how obnoxious the odds are.

sabito also shares the same patterned clothing and hilt guard as giyuu but unfortunately for him it's meant to be perversely ironic because guess what? he dies at fucking 13

WITH GIYUU IT'S MEANT TO SYMBOLIZE LIVING WITH SABITO ITS MEANT TO SYMBOLIZE DEATH. I HATE MY LIFE

[yoiiyoii]

note: only the manga will be referenced in this analysis

"eyes are the window to the soul" is a saying that resonates with many people. giyuu happens to be one of them and he claims that looking into another person's eyes is what connects you to them.

as a child and teenager, giyuu's eyes were lighter and his pupils were white. and if you look even closer, you'd notice that his eyes specifically resemble tanjiro's (which symbolizes the similarities between tanjiro and teen giyuu but that's for another day)

white pupils are common in characters known for their kindness and purity (tanjiro, rengoku, nezuko, aoi, etc.) the reason behind his pupils being white is to symbolize his kindness as a kid. his eyes were unclouded. his eyes were bright. his eyes were the window to his soul and most importantly, they indicated an honest heart.

...which completely disappeared after losing sabito

this shows how severe the aftermath of sabito's death was on him. after tsutako's death, he managed to (partially) recover because at least he had someone who still brought him joy but after sabito's death, he was all alone. this also signifies how sensitive he really is because guess what? none of the other kny characters' iris structure changes after losing their loved ones.

eyes in kny vary in detail and tell us about the characters whether it’s the shine in mitsuri’s or the vessels in sanemi’s. due to being the outcast he is, giyuu’s eyes are dull and don’t contain enough detail to demonstrate anything. this plays into the other's narratives of him. no one actually understood who giyuu was. hell, even tanjiro himself claimed that he knew nothing about him. his eyes were now tainted with death and instead of indicating a good heart, his eyes now signify dishonesty, referencing his facade. this is one of the reasons behind the lack of trust others have for him. the "window to his soul" is clouded and covered up which makes him more obscure in the other characters' eyes. additionally, giyuu has pupils as an adult but they’re invisible in almost every panel and are hidden due to how dark his eyes are. this symbolizes him drowning all his feelings, past memories, and real personality beneath an empty surface. his eyes looking purposefully dull showcases how despite others seeing him as cold and shallow on the outside, he’s filled with emotions.

a few more details that need to be mentioned:

a) giyuu always avoids eye contact.

name me two different panels where he makes eye contact with people that aren't mid battle. giyuu isolated himself from everyone around him so that he wouldn't end up being attached to or harming them. hence, he hoped that no one would attempt to interact with or see him for what he really is. people connected to each other by looking into each other's eyes or souls but giyuu didn't want any connections. he doesn't want anyone to look into his soul. he refuses to look in the eyes of others because he has to distance himself. he only looks at people he truly loves

even though he goes out of his way to distance himself from the boy, giyuu makes eye contact with tanjiro several times, showing that he genuinely cares for him despite acting distant (note: scenes where he looks at people during battle do not count for obvious reasons)

b) whenever giyuu is angry, stressed, surprised, or is showing any genuine emotion the bottom part of his iris becomes white

but whenever he remembers something from his past, the bottom section of his iris AND his pupils become white resembling his eyes in the past (which represents how he is reliving his memories)

c) his eyes are always shaded with straight lines (signifying order) but when he saw tanjiro “dead”, the lines were completely scribbled

notice how he can't make eye contact with tanjiro anymore? notice how he can't bear to look at the kid he swore that he'd protect? notice how he's trying not to look at him because memories of him just wouldn't stop flooding his brain? hahahahahaha.....

[yoiiyoii]

“You’re in the presence of the Hashira! These are the 9 best trained dogs in the Demon Slayer Corps!”

[yoiiyoii]

“Even if I lose my memories, my body will remember that anger that will not leave me until I die. It's why I trained so hard that I vomited blood to destroy demons. And more... to eradicate them!”

[yoiiyoii]

this panel emits so much happiness all their precious smiles ♡ + sanemi being flustered and disguising it as annoyance is so endearing

[yoiiyoii]

[yoiiyoii]

Thanks for tagging me!!

I guess it looks a little messy.. but to explain:

- I WANT TO RIDE IN TRAINS (no trains in my country RIP💔)

- I've been into "photography" but in quotes because it's not like I'm /learning/ it but rather just clicking whatever. I really only have one of those small 2010 digital cameras that suck by today's standards but it's still a MUCH better (and a lot more enjoyable) camera than my shitty ol' cheap phone. That's a random pic I took myself behind the picsart sticker of the camera

- I've reallyyyyyy been into Nana. It hurt me.

- Demon slayer and Infinity Castle hype!!!! Giyuu love!!!!!

- Books here and there, trying to sneak in reading between busy days

Tagging @roseameilatempest @getsuuna @thatdawgx I don't really know a lot of people in here but I hope y'all join❤️❤️ and anyone else who wants to!!

✨️!!new game!!✨️

for ur followers to get to know u better:

make a moodboard w u as a theme!

things u could include: ur fav flower, fav food, fav animal, a fit u wish u had, a place u find pretty, the aesthetic u wish ur room had, a reference to your home country, basically a y images you think match ur vibe!

ofc ure not forced to participate, and u can tag anyone u want to see doing this!

I've honestly never made a moodboard before so I feel like this isn't going to look very good.

But I still liked the challange. So thank you, Anon!

My aesthetics are clearly all over the place so I hope you don't mind but here it is!

And I'm gonna try tagging some people: @koneko-pi @thoughtfullyrainynightmare @lyranova @eternity-just-fangirls @drmarune @mikuyuuss

Not gonna tag everyone I know so there's still options for my friends to tag each other!

[yoiiyoii]

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #501 )✅️

I am Mohammed, I live in the northern besieged Gaza Strip, I am 21 years old, I have always tried to create a beautiful future for myself in which I achieve all my wishes. I had ambitions and dreams, but they evaporated because of the war, but I still want to achieve them despite the siege. During the war, I lost many things, including my university, my dreams, my job, and some friends. Despite that, I still want to achieve my dreams and ambitions. I want to rebuild my life again, so please help me in that and rebuild my life. Therefore,

please donate as much as you can because that helps me a lot. If you cannot donate, tell people about my suffering.

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #501 )✅️