#i am fully aware of my lack of original posts

[ashdash2417]

I’m sorry for the lack of original posts… it will continue to happen. 😔

[angelsinluv]

𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

a guide on how to manifest quickly and effortlessly with the understanding of states! ♡

☆ ┊𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒

what are states?

how to enter and sustain the state

dealing with the unfavorable (the 3D, emotions, doubts, negativity…)

quotes

a post by @blushydior + @angelsinluv

this is a joint/collab post between @blushydior and @angelsinluv. this was originally bambi’s post so she’d written most of it but doesn’t want to post it on her blog for personal reasons. so we thought it’d be a good idea for me to post it on mine and put our knowledge together since it’s been the talk lately.

there are many different ways of understanding the law and manifesting your desires whether it be behind a scientific point of view or the principle, states.

if you’d like to know how blushydior manifested her dream life with hard circumstances, read this post here.

now, let get into it.

☆ ┊ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒

the sooner you understand and get the gist of states, the more seamless your manifesting journey will be. this realization is what brought bambi to manifest her dream life.

states manifest and thoughts don’t and i’ll explain why in this guide but in no way shape or form that i am pushing my beliefs onto you.

even if you don’t agree with that statement or are unable to fully click and resonate with states just yet know that states and thoughts work together to bring awareness to what mindset/story you’re entertaining.

for example, if you wanted to know what state you’re in, you would look at your thoughts. why? because when you change your state, your thoughts naturally change as well so therefore, thoughts and feeling are indicators of what you’re state in.

if your day to day thoughts are:

where are my desires?

why hasn’t the 3D conformed yet?

i didn’t get to saturate my mind today, now i won’t get it

you are coming from a state of lack. a state of not having your desire unaware that your imagination trumps the 3D. always.

i’m not saying it’s a crime to affirm all day. many people enjoy it so it’s not out of lack. it’s up to how you’re doing it.

with manifestation, you’re either in the state of:

being the person who has it

being the person who is trying to get it

in the law of assumption, what creates reality? your mind (consciousness)

so, if you’re affirming, visualizing, doing all these things IN YOUR MIND, to change your reality (3D) then…

BY DEFAULT:

imagination creates reality

the 3D is a reflection of your state of BEING

always look inwards for confirmation because that’s the true reality!

☆┊ 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄

aka choose what you want to manifest! this would mainly be the state of the wish fulfilled.

state = your state of being / state of consciousness. your I AM.

it’s what you identify as. your awareness of being.

choose what you want and embody the version of you / person who already has their desire.

for example, if you wanted $10 million, you choose to be in the state of fulfillment - the person who has $10 million.

that is now your state - the person who has their desire. the state of the wish fulfilled.

☆ WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE WISH-FULFILLED?

the state of the wish fulfilled is the state in which your desire has already been fulfilled - that it is already done because consciousness is the only reality. there is nothing left for you to do because creation is finished!

you do not create anything, you only occupy and live in your desired state to bring it to life. this is why there is power in your awareness (of being). be aware of who you are being in relation to your desire.

☆ MORE ON STATES

infinite states exist within consciousness - this means that anything is possible and not all of them are true/will manifest. only the state that you constantly dwell and identify with, manifests.

this is also why infinite realities exist. your state is your reality.

❝ The world is a mirror, forever reflecting what you are doing, within yourself. ❞

☆ ┊ 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓

now that you set the intention of embodying the person who has their desires, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that align with your state will naturally flow to you.

as you can tell, thoughts and feelings are a product of a state but repeating affirmations, visualizing, doing whatever you want can also help you sustain and being into the state. that’s what techniques are for!

so what would you be thinking and how would you feel if you had your desire?

thinking = imaginal acts that include visualizing, affirming, inner convos, feeling, etc.

thinking is not just affirming because there are people who think in visuals and others who think in forms of words (affirmations). do what feels natural to you. — blushydior

affirm: “i have $10 million dollars in the bank!”

visualize: any scene that implies you have $10 million dollars in the bank

feeling: nonchalant / at peace / etc. knowing you have $10 million in your possession.

that is now your awareness / state of being

feeling ≠ emotion!

feeling = accepting your desire as a fact that it is yours because consciousness is the only reality.

☆ 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆

remember that the feeling is natural and it won’t be the same every single time. for example, if you’re now just starting to understand and enter the state of the wish fulfilled, it might be exciting, relieving - euphoric even but as you exercise returning back (persistence) to dwell in the state, it’ll start to feel natural. it might start feeling nonchalant, peace, calmness! so if you reach that point and start to worry, “i feel nothing but I know it done. am i doing something wrong?” no you’re not. it’s okay!

you don’t have to act as if. only be as if.

❝ Are you thinking from the state you desire? or is your dream just a passing fancy, a daydream you enjoyed for the moment, and then dropped? ❞

if you say you want money, are you gonna keep WANTING it? NO. to manifest, you ARE the person who has the money.

that’s it. that’s your state! you changed who you are.

YOU ARE THAT PERSON WHO HAS THE MONEY. simple. (that’s because the law is)

☆ 𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐌𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐖

close your eyes, claim you have what you want. by affirming, visualizing, whatever feels good to you.

see it, feel it, know that your mind creates your world. what you see is THE REAL FACT.

isn’t it liberating? BECAUSE IT IS.

you are free to do and have whatever you want! this is why the 3D, circumstances and feelings DO NOT MATTER. why? because YOU, the operant power JUST SAID you have it in your mind so why are you going to let emotions and the 3D effect you?

now, accept these thoughts and your state as facts because that’s what they are. consciousness is the only reality so if you say and know that who you are in imagination is true, the law has no choice but to reflect your awareness of being.

not all thoughts are assumptions and you are not all of your states!

the state and thoughts you identify with manifests.

you are always passing through a number of states throughout your days. a state of sadness, a state of anger, a state of nonchalance, a state of fulfillment.

dwell and identify with the state of your choosing = the person has all their desires!

it’s the same thing with thoughts.

“thoughts are just thoughts. thoughts accepted as true are assumptions. and thoughts/assumptions are products of your state of consciousness. feelings do not mean emotion. feelings = the acceptance that your desire is a fact in imagination.” — blushydior

like i said, thoughts are just thoughts. unless you assign meaning to doubts and affirmations, they hold no power. you do. so which one are facts and which ones are powerless?

your imaginal acts, awareness of being (visualizing / affirming / inner convos / feeling / auditory / etc) = fact

doubts, intrusive, negative thoughts = powerless. don’t even care enough to label them. they’re silly little thoughts.

☆ ┊ 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 - 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓

all you have to do now is persist in that assumption and sustain your state until it hardens into a fact.

A COMMON MISCONCEPTION is that you have to CONSCIOUSLY be in the state all day everyday. NO. all you have to do is return to it/persist whenever you WANT to and WHENEVER you think about it

❝ You don't have to remain in a state if you have made a mistake. You can change states morning, noon, and night, but the state to which you most constantly return constitutes your dwelling place. ❞

SEE! it’s really no different. it’s the same as meditating on affs or rampaging, visualizing, thinking from your desire etc but it’s the fact that you are doing these things to make it natural & bc you enjoy it, not because you “don’t see it in the 3D” and you freak out then over-consume, affirm more, etc.

whenever you think about your desire, remind yourself that you already have it. 

if you caught yourself dwelling in a place of lack, for example, asking “where is it?” / “it’s not here yet.” — correct yourself. return to the wish fulfilled and feel it to be a fact in imagination.

and you keep doing that WHENEVER YOU WANT TO until it feels natural. like neville said, it’s like putting on a new suit. at first it won’t feel natural but over some time, you won’t even be “conscious” of it because you already / naturally feel fulfilled! read my quotes thread that relates to this.

this is where methods come in as well. it gets you to dwell in your state whenever and however you want.

methods don’t hold any power. you do.

it’s not a chore. it’s a choice.

easy peasy.

❝ You can tell if you abide in your house of desire by watching your thoughts, for the state in which you most constantly return constitutes your dwelling place. ❞

☆ ┊ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

you have fulfilled the inner man, accepted it as a fact and got your manifestation.

☆┊ 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄

doubts, the 3D (interacting vs. reacting) and emotions

doubts, intrusives, opposing thoughts

you let them pass because you are already the person who has it all. if you identify as the person who has their desires (“i have xyz”) why would you let little doubts deter you? they can come in your mind ALL DAY but if you don’t identify with them, they don’t hold power.

if YOU know you’re already the person who has their desire, nothing and no one can stop them from conforming.

for example, if you were famous and all of a sudden you were told “no, you’re not!”

would you go:

“i’m not? oh my god… you’re right. i’m not famous!”

or

“uh…? wrong. because the evidence* is right there? i just said i’m famous so that’s what i am…. famous. lol.”

*evidence = you. your state/4D/mind.

☆ ┊𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟑𝐃 - 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 ≠ 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 

→ ┊ REACTING is looking at the 3D and complaining. settling for what you see as a fact.

EXAMPLE: seeing the opposite of your manifestation

DON’T: “my life sucks. i hate it here. see? this is why i can never manifest what i want.” and settling for these thoughts as facts.

DO: “it doesn’t matter what i see. what and who i claim to me in my mind/imagination is the real fact that has no choice to be externalized!”

→ ┊ INTERACTING is doing what you need to do in the 3D/physical world but knowing that what you claim in your mind is the REAL fact.

EXAMPLE 1: you’re manifesting a romantic partner.

physically: when someone asks you “hey, are you in a relationship?” you say no.

but in your mind you go: sike. i have the perfect girl/boyfriend 🤭🤭

EXAMPLE 2: you’re manifesting money

physically: you decline to hangout with your friends because you have no money at the moment.

but in your mind you go: “i literally have so much money lol ?? i’m the richest person in the world with all the money i have in the bank.”

EXAMPLE 3: attending therapy or venting to loved ones

physically: “life’s been really difficult lately and it makes me feel stuck. i had a few breakdowns and anxiety problems, etc.”

mentally: (after venting) “that made me feel a little better. i let my feelings out instead of bottling them in. i know i have/will get my desires! everything’s okay. i’m safe.”

it doesn’t matter what you do or say in the 3D!

consciousness is the only reality so if you continue to dwell in the state most favorable to you, that is all that matters!

☆ ┊𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

in this context: the repetition of affirmations. not repeatedly going back to the state of the wish fulfilled.

i’ve gotten a number of asks in the past asking me why they didn’t get what they want if they repeated the thought so many times. my only conclusion from this side of the screen is that you are in the state of trying to get it.

when manifesting, you don’t try. you either have it or you don’t. 

so are you person a?

“okay i have to affirm on loop for 20 minutes, 2 times a day or else, i won’t get it my manifestation!”

blushy’s observation: you aren’t being the person who has their desires if you still feel like you need to get them. so you do all these things like over-consume information, force yourself to affirm the same affirmations on loop 1000x, looking for more answers, etc.

you simply aren’t in the state of being. you’re in the state of lack / trying to get it.

how can you try to get something you already have?

so switch states! how? scroll back up.

or person b?

“i feel like saturating my mind. why not? it’s fun.” →

“i already have all of my desires because i said so. there’s no need for me to worry or stress because it’s already mine! it’s done…” and so on.

so do you have it? yes or no?

☆ ┊𝐒𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐃𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐍’𝐓?

a related question: do dominant thoughts manifest?

you can affirm all day and be able to affirm on autopilot in the middle of your sleep or doing chores but if you:

don’t accept them as facts (assumptions)

identify with them

are in the state of trying to get them by going: “i need to affirm more or else i won’t receive my desire.”

you won’t see results.

that’s why it can only take one decision for a manifestation to come to fruition. you fully accepted it as a fact that the version in imagination is the true person who has it whether it be a desire or doubt.

it’s all about the knowing it’s already yours IN IMAGINATION - that your success is inevitable and it has no choice but to conform and harden into fact.

it’s called the law of assumption for a reason! (as neville even once said, law of being) you accept / assume you are the person who has it as true without any physical evidence because you know that imagination creates reality.

❝ This is the law of assumption so, if you assume that repeating affirmations all day will get you some kind of movement / your manifestation, that’s what you’ll get. It’s the same thing with techniques and methods, you give your thoughts and these ways of manifesting power. Thoughts are products of your state of consciousness but it doesn’t mean they’re all true. The idea that dominant thoughts manifest makes it seem tedious. The law is simple. Especially for people who are new to the law, you’re introduced to this idea and you begin to police every thought you have and affirm all day, everyday to make sure that your every dominant thought surrounding each topic in your life is a positive one. That’s exhausting and it’s not supposed to be. It contradicts the fact that you don’t have to make a smidge of effort in order to get your desires. […] It gives your thoughts power when you are not your thoughts. You are who you claim to be in imagination because imagination creates reality. So if you visualized or affirmed that you are the person who lives their dream life and accept it as a fact in your mind, nothing can make that change other than you and you are pure consciousness. You can have negative thoughts and feel your emotions because just like the outer world, they have nothing to do with you unless you identify with them. So choose your story. Your silly little thoughts or the fact that you are the person who has their desires. ❞ — blushydior

all you have to do is accept it as a fact that you are the person who has their desire and you will manifest faster than the speed of light.

this is my opinion but i don’t like the idea of affirming so much to wait until a thought is dominant so it can manifest. it’s very limiting.

it is a fact that you ARE the person who has your desire! the reason why affirming on loop and “dominant thoughts manifest” concept works for others is because they assume it does. remember that techniques don’t manifest, you do.

❝ An assumption, though false, if persisted in, will harden into fact. ❞

if you are affirming on loop and aren’t seeing results, this may be your problem and understanding states is the solution you’ve been looking for!

☆ ┊𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐃𝐎 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐌 𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐏?

this goes along with manifesting with hard circumstances and being a neurodivergent!

i state in my guide that i knew i was the person who already had my desires and since i was constantly filled with intrusives, doubts, and other things (i didn’t identify with them, i just wanted them to lessen) i repeated them as reminders to made me feel better to saturate my mind that: “yes! i do have it.”

saturation is NOT necessary. you don’t need to do it but it helps in many cases as a technique to sustain your state and coping mechanism. it makes persistence easier for many.

another thing. 

if you are this person: 

“okay i’m going affirm all day and then i will get it!”

you will succeed because that is the assumption you’ve created. you fully accepted it as a fact that if you repeat it over and over again, you will get your manifestation.

so yay! you got it.

☆ ┊𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

[lains-reality]

consciousness masterlist

this masterlist is for non dualism, spirituality and law of assumption posts that talk abt being consciousness. take what you resonate with! these posts are pretty much the most condensed ways to explain consciouness. of course words are limited, but this is a good starting point. ik nondualism and manifesting aren't really mixable, but loa posts explain consciousness pretty well & consciousness is the basis for both loa and nondualism

nondualism / advaita vedanta.

how to actually manifest & how it works - awarenessis.

the complete guide to nondualism - multiversebaddie

how to be awareness - 4dbarbie

the true you - 4dbarbie

i am that q&a pt1 - 4dbarbie

something important to know - starinparisdream

you are god - oneirosophist

right here, right now - oneirosophist

what is the 3d, how do i change it? - 4dbarbie

fully embrace who you are - awarenessis

nothing has ever stained your being - lainsreality

law of assumption

the true you - blushydior

original reality - lovilyy deactivated

you're already home - ndeyebaby

acceptance of your true power - starbursts777

the reason why you are limitless - multiversebaddie

you are inside your mind - aphroditeapprenticee

trying - heavenythea

fufill - reverieaa

I AM - aphroditeapprenticee

law and love - iivenusii

who are you? - thisdreamplace

spirituality

speak life - jh4l

shut up and listen - aspiritualwarrior

anon asks

what does it mean to be infinite - 4dbarbie

to make my life perfect ... - 4dbarbie

i feel like people don't understand - aphroditeaprenticee

the 3d and the 4d are the same - piercedblunt

self remembering - anonimus

lack and god - sexydreamgirl

[lotusarchon]

I had to make a whole google doc to sort my thoughts on this, that's how mad I am tbh. My friends have made explanations which you can find here, and here. And while I told myself that after that post I was done, seeing my friend receive a comment like this was the final pushing point I needed.

I'm both going to ramble about Nezha here again, and I'm going to try and explain this in a way that'll get people to understand, as someone who once followed an Eastern religion too + I'm going to be stating my basic thoughts here so maybe some things won't make sense.

Mild info about me: I'm from Trinidad. My family is described with East Indian descent but clearly, I'm not from India itself. My knowledge of Hinduism is rather basic because I quit religion thanks to traumatic experiences related to it, however not lacking fully. From my father's side, specifically his mother, they practice Hinduism and can even be considered devout Hindus (if I'm to believe all the statues and pictures of about almost every single Hindu god). Though my knowledge is basic, understand that I'm not Hindu nor Indian, so of course these are my opinions and my experiences with Hinduism, and I do not advise you taking my word fully to heart. I'm only trying to explain something to the LMK fandom in the best way I know how too, by referencing another Eastern religion that isn't half as popular as Daoism/Buddhism.

There's only one show I know where Hinduism is portrayed, and it's an anime/manga series called Record Of Ragnarok (Shuumatsu No Valkyrie), and from what I know it's not well liked by others (and even banned I think?) because of the fact Shiva is weaker than Zeus and the supposed sexualization of Parvati, Kali and Durga? It's been a while so I could be wrong on this though.

Why am I bringing this topic up to a rant about a lego character though?

#1) Fiction vs Religion and Reality

While one half expresses discontent and discomfort, I've seen others who clearly don't mind because Shiva is still badass and cool. I myself had some qualms about his appearance in the beginning because while I did quit religion, this was a god I used to worship, and seeing him in an anime/manga and be sexualized and simped for was…uncanny, to say the least. Overtime I grew numb to it though because it was genuinely funny and even I, an ex Hindu, found him attractive, and had not much hesitation writing smut about him in past fics. 

Similarly, I can imagine this is how Daoists and Chinese had originally felt about Nezha in Lego Monkie Kid [Only referencing LMK with Chinese deities. I'm aware there could be other media where they're in.] A bit weird at first but then overall got used to it because there's genuinely no harm done, as it's not meant to be an educational retelling of a god, but a fictional portrayal of him.

Returning to the point I mentioned with Shiva. When I first came across this series in 2021 (?), I did not feel too happy and comfortable with the image of a deity I've grown up worshipping as a child. I quit religion when I turned 13, so it's been nearly five years since I've had nothing to do with the main religion of my household; Hinduism. Still, I practically grew up worshipping this god I was taught to fear, and seeing a potrayal of him (which honestly in my opinion) didn't seem like a good thing at the time. 

Why did I eventually stop being bothered? Because this wasn't supposed to be retelling of Shiva. This was just a character with similarities to the god I worshipped, but wasn't the god. The series I watched wasn't even intending to teach audiences about any of the religions and real life figures they portrayed, they simply used them as inspiration to tell a story. They weren't accurate representations, but that was the point. It's a story about gods vs humans from history; of course it wasn't going to be accurate nor stay true to the figure they took inspiration from.

You can imagine then for a cartoon series meant to sell Legos. Lego Monkie Kid contains several characters that are known in Chinese myths and legends/religions. Of the most popular mentioned, there is Sun Wukong, one of the main characters in the series, Tang Sanzang otherwise known as Tripitaka and the Great Monk, Lady Guanyin mentioned in season 1, the one the fandom argues about, Nezha, the Jade Emperor in season 4, and most recently, Nuwa, and Heavenly Pagoda King, Li Jing. There may be others but these are the ones that are most known within the fandom. 

Mind you some of these figures are still very much worshipped now, but, point remains: the series was never intended to be a retelling of these characters stories, nor were they intended to be educational for audiences. They took inspiration directly, gave their own twists, and hence you have the story of LMK, meant to originally promote Legos and then eventually gave way to the series that this fandom belongs too.

These characters are not their source material, nor the origins of which they came from as religious figures. Sun Wukong is a Buddha within JTTW’s ends and if I'm right is still worshipped as such sometimes (?). He didn't hide away into a mountain at the end of his journey. His companions didn't die, nor were they reincarnated, but instead also acquired titles and became Buddhas as well. (Or gods? I frankly don't remember). Tang Sanzang as we've in season 4 was not some sort of brave, astute man in the book but rather a crybaby coward. Need I even point out that Nezha wouldn't have a giant mech to fight people, nor would he have such close deposition with the Jade Emperor? Or the fact that the Jade Emperor would be bested by someone like Azure Lion?

Not even counting Journey To The West and the Fengshen Yanyi, the real Tang Sanzang that Wu Cheng’en took inspiration of most certainly did not have a monkey, a pig, a water demon and a dragon turned horse with him on his journey. 

Why speak of all this?

To make my first point; religion and fiction are two very different things. Religion has existed for who knows how long, and fiction has recently decided to include fictional potrayals of these gods into stories and cartoons. From a writer's perspective, it's really interesting taking something that is a part of religion and writing it into your own works, with your own take on it.

And of course, brings me to the topic of Nezha.

Lego Monkie Kid Nezha is, according to an official writer within the show's team, an adult. Although many fans have their objections about this, supposedly because Nezha in other sources is a child god, and think that the writer only abruptly pointed out Nezha's an adult to save her own skin.

Taking all my points in consideration; let me humour the Nezha is a child god idea. What, exactly, does this have to do with Nezha in Monkie Kid? 

If Nezha, the god within Daoism and Buddhism, is supposedly a child deity, what law says that any other potryal of Nezha has to abide by this? 

By this logic. Shiva in the anime I mentioned above shouldn't be weaker than Zeus. He also shouldn't even be agreeing to fight mortals, as he's a deity far above such petty behavior. Zeus shouldn't be portrayed in books like PJO as a lecherous cheater, because in reality, Ancient Greece consisted of multiple kingdoms and thereby different interpretations of Zeus were merged together which is what consists of the myths we know of him today which is highly disrespectful, and Sun Wukong shouldn't be a mentor to MK, because he's supposed to be a Buddhist, and thereby wouldn't be entertaining fighting nuances.

Fiction doesn't not adhere to reality. The fact I need to say this astounds me because should this not be obvious? Lego Monkie Kid is a cartoon set in some sci-fi futuristic world with lego people walking around, where gods somehow need mechs to go around fighting, and there are animal-like demons/yaoguai walking around here and there. There is literally an arcade in the show with zero gravity. Do you possibly believe for a miniscule second that anything that goes down in a fictional setting will adhere to our reality??

And, even then, humouring the Nezha being a child deity concept > what law says that he has to be portrayed as a child in other pieces of fiction?? Especially when the fictional setting is not meant to be a retelling or for educational purposes, but rather to carry a plot. 

There is nothing, no law, no rules that insists that a religious figure must be portrayed as they are in a legend/myth for a fictional world.

Lego Monkie Kid Nezha is not the deity Nezha. He is a completely different character, which many of you should have realized from the exact moment he was brought into the show. They are not the same person. Never was. 

“Oh, it's disrespectful―” From a writer's perspective, I personally don't think so. If I wanted to make a story that involved a god, I wouldn't keep everything that makes that god who they are. There are some key points I would keep to make the story, but I would ultimately create an OC that shares some attributes to this religious figure, but it wouldn't be him. The show Record of Ragnarok does a good job with this in my opinion, because while many characters share some attributes to the real figures they're inspired by, the writers changed several things to create a proper story, and thereby making these characters OCs and not the actual gods themselves, and of course that logic applies to Lego Monkie Kid.

In the instance, again, Nezha the god from Daoism, is in fact a child deity, Nezha in LMK isn't. Nezha in LMK is someone who's entirely different from the god himself. 

So, the logic this fandom uses confuses me a lot. Do you not understand how to seperate fiction from religion?? Do many of you not understand media literacy, and what a writing process is like?

Sigh. Moving to another point―

#2) Character Designs

Sometimes, when it comes to character designs, anyone could just throw them into anything and think, “Yeah that's good.” Not much thought is given to a character's appearances depending, which I don't really blame as someone who's 1) done literature as a hobby and has seen my fair share of character designs, 2) creates characters myself. It's too hard thinking of a character's appearance, and even then when making them there normally wouldn't be any significance.

Nezha's design in LMK seems to be a huge source of debate when arguing about his age. It was actually brought up in my previous post, specifically that his hairstyle was often used by children at the time. 

I have a bone to pick with this point.

This is Nezha from Lego Monkie Kid:

However, this is Mei from the same show:

Before anyone starts, allow me to point out as a history geek that likes religion and pointless facts over politics: I am aware that there are different hairstyles to show certain things, including one's age and status and sometimes even personality. Do not bring up any points about the differences in these characters hairstyles with an excuse, “Oh, but you should know―”, because I know how hairstyles could be treated within history. 

However. Look at Nezha's hairstyle, and then Mei's. I've never seen the LMK fandom complain about Mei's age, because it was generally believed that MK and Mei are both at least 18 if not older, as the legal age for a driver's license in China is 18. 

Both Nezha and Mei are wearing a ‘bun’ type hairstyle. Mei's is arguably more of twin ponytails (?), but I'm not a hairstylist, so I don't know what they're called. To me they look similar, that's all I'm trying to say. And even if they weren't though―through a modern lense, a hairstyle isn't reserved for just any specific age. Anyone can wear a hairstyle they want. Keep in mind that the creators of LMK are also Western(?), and they chose a hairstyle for these two characters based on personality and appearances. 

A hairstyle is not reserved for any age. Grown women including my aunts have worn hairstyles similar to these just for fun.

That's point one.

Point two; Nezha is a very popular deity, much like Sun Wukong. In terms of recognition, Sun Wukong is very easy to recognize because of his staff and his overall cocky personality. 

Nezha however is an entirely different case. Most media potrayals of him always has the two-bun hairstyle of him, which is what makes Nezha recognizable. If you remove that specific hairstyle of his, you won't recognize him. It's iconic, and pointed out in this scene (The Legend of Hei) where Nezha makes an appearance as well.

[Characters sitting together. White haired boy (Hei + MC) looks at the older, dark haired boy (Nezha). Nezha looks back.]

Nezha: What? You want an autograph?

Hei: You're a boy?

Nezha: Yeah?

Hei: Your hairstyle is cute.

[Nezha looks in front with an annoyed expression.]

Nezha: If it weren't for the recognizability, I'd have changed it long ago.

Hei: Recognizability?

[Nezha removes the buns(? some form of them?) from his head. Three older figures glance at him.]

???: Who are you?

[Scene returns]

Nezha: See?

Aka, point being made: those buns are what makes Nezha recognizable. If he doesn't have that hairstyle, unless it's specifically pointed out, I'm certain majority would not recognize him. 

Some hairstyles are meant to be done for some form of meaning. But sometimes, as is the case with designs, they're just there just because no one wanted to make the characters bald. Using the excuse about Nezha's hairstyle to justify his age as a child is by far the lamest and dumbest excuse I've ever heard of, because the creators did not give him that hairstyle for the sake of some meaning anymore than MK was given his current hairstyle either. It's his logo at this point, ignoring his color scheme aside.

Even then, if the creators of Lego Monkie Kid intended for Nezha to be a child within the show, he would not appear as he is. Lego Monkie Kid has made children models, which we can see here (used from s3 and up in case someone tries to excuse the differences in seasons): 

And of course, Nezha's model;

Despite the perspective and low quality though, he's at least the same height as Red Son here:

If Lego Monkie Kid truly intended for Nezha to be a child, his appearance and model would be similar to the children's in the show. Perspective is difficult to find but you can clearly see he's about the same height as the other adult characters if not taller, and is not small like the child figures we see.

Pink isn't a children's color, and nothing about Nezha's clothing indicates a child. He very much looks like an adult and doesn't exhibit childish behavior as we see Red Son, Mei and MK do.

I've seen fans use his voice to point out he's an adult, but I'm not sure that's a valid point. I say this as someone who has a 13 year old brother and was recently a minor myself. 

Allow me to clarify: a voice isn't a clear proof of age. My father is a 45 year old man but sounds very much like a woman/teenage girl. My brother is 13 and sounds more of an adult than his father. My classmate in highschool was one year older than me and his voice was very high-pitched. 

The voice actors in LMK are directed to speak a certain way for a reason…in English. I'm not sure about Mandarin. In my opinion, Wukong's voice sounds like Son Goku's because it's a reference to the fact Wukong is what inspired Goku. Nezha's probably sounds deep and brooding not because he's a child but because it almost represents his own personality, and probably is a reference from another shonen protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki. MK's voice in the beginning sounds really childish to me but slowly as the events of s3, 4 and 5 happen it gets more deeper almost as a reference to show how his ‘innocence’ is slowly fading. 

Or, I might be looking to into it. Regardless, tdlr, don't use Nezha's voice in your argument. I've seen grown ass men have high pitched voices. 

Returning to my original point however; if you have an ounce of media literacy and understanding, you should be aware that some character designs are chosen for a reason. Nezha's icon is those two bun hairstyle, and the writers purposely chose it so old fans/readers of JTTW and FSYY and maybe other Chinese/Daoists would be able to recognize him and go, “Hey, that's Nezha from―”

Before I got into LMK, I read JTTW and also saw The Legend of Hei and the Nezha 2019 movie, so I knew him because of the hairstyle. And my first instinct of course was to point out, “That's the dude from TLOH!!” when I saw him. So, the hairstyle was chosen for the recognizability, and I highly doubt as a sign of age.

Even then, LMK Nezha aside, moving on to a different point.

#3) Sources Of Inspiration

The 21st century isn't really the first era where people are taking inspiration from other cultures. As a matter of fact, it's been happening for decades, and it's very prominent in religion, which someone of you would know if you both a) actually did proper research, b) gave a shit about what you're researching and c) studied history.

Hilariously, I have done all three of the above. 

I'm going to use a popular example here with Sun Wukong and Hanuman. Hinduism is supposedly largely considered one of the oldest religions in the world. If you truly think about it, certain Daoist deities are loosely inspired or are versions of Hindu gods, which I'm going to use here with a popular example (and provide a link too).

― Sun Wukong and Hanuman. The earliest Vedic records mention one of the supposed known monkey gods, and their similarities make scholars suggest Hanuman inspired Sun Wukong. Specifically his figure in JTTW, where it's speculated that the author must've had a copy of Vedic (?) hymns. While Sun Wukong does predate JTTW, Hanuman definitely has had some influence on him.

Much, much similarly, the deity known as Nezha, is also loosely inspired/based off the figure known as Nalakuvara, who appears in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, and often appears as a sexual trickster figure in Hindu and Buddhist literature.

Historically speaking, when it comes to religion and myths, something many people fail to understand is that before there was the idea of writing to tell a story, there was the process known as sharing from mouth to ear. Not in a literal sense, but rather that people often preferred to tell stories via word of mouth back then, and as things always go in history, there will be changes. The proof is literally right there. Nezha was originally known as Nalakuvara, yet when transmitted through Buddhist texts, he became known as Nazha, then Nezha. And as such, the Lotus Prince and Chinese god known as Nezha was created. A combination of Nalakuvara and the child god Krishna.

A lot of people will want to jump on that specific point that mentions Krishna being a child god, so allow me to immediately put you down right there.

Ex Hindu here; I did not even know there was a portrayal of Krishna as a child. Up until I stopped practicing Hinduism, I used to worship Krishna as an adult figure. In the paintings and statues my aunts had for Diwali as a child, he was always showcased as an adult.

Ironically, doesn't this apply for the actual god Nezha too? 

When it comes to religion and myths, many of you forget something very important; there is no such thing as a canon iteration. These aren't shows, these are stories from the past told through different people, and passed through many hands. There is no such thing as a canon version because almost everyone had their own version of a myth or story. Terms you may typically apply to fandoms don't apply to fucking religions and myths, and some of you are so chronically online that you forget it.

#4) The LMK Fandom's Chronically Online Attitude

I'm an ex Hindu who still faintly remembers some bits and pieces from my childhood while practicing this religion, especially during the Diwali period, where little me managed to get new information from library books about the gods my family worshipped. I personally didn't like sitting during the priest's (forgot what he was called) chanting though but the funny white thingy we used to have to wear was fun. 

There are some Hindu gods I'm familiar with, like Lakshmi, Kali, Durga and the other versions of her (I still can't recover from the one statue with her in a fish..) Parvati, Shiva, Vishnu, Hanuman (yaah), Rama and Sita, Ganesh (also yah) and of course, Krishna.  I also have watched my fair share of childhood movies and cartoons where the gods were mentioned or present―Karan & Arjun specifically struck the fear in me with Kali 😭😭 holy fuck that movie scared me with the creepy edits jeez T-T. There was also that one cartoon about Rama and Sita”s story specifically Hanuman, and this Indian TV series where this little girl was a loyal devotee to Ganesha (I had no idea rats were one of his uh signature animals holy shit).

I'm rambling here a bit because the childhood memories were fun, but the point I'm going for is though….

I am familiar with these gods I grew up with. And I know about them, maybe not enough but certainly enough to know how to properly respect them from back then. 

And, using Krishna as a prime example; if someone came up to me, or I came across anyone, who argues that the god I know is an immortal child, even though I have worshipped and adult version of him, I'd be so fucking pissed. Krishna is seen as an adult, I worshipped him as an adult, but there are cases where he's a child god, and that's fine! But to have someone tell you that you're wrong about the god you know about because they got some basic information off the internet, undoubtedly, I'm going to be pissed. Especially when it's from a Western fan who has no fucking brain.

So, of course, imagine how devotees of Nezha and Chinese people must be feeling every single time this fandom fucks about with Nezha's age. I saw it myself; people told my friend that a) she was lying and b) her statement is irrelevant just because “I did my proper research, and even if you're Chinese you can still be a proshipper, Nezha's a child deity.”

It's genuinely so fucked up to me how the LMK fandom act towards Nezha's age. You guys will ignore the people who are willing to provide accurate information for the sake of being in the right and accusing people for being a proshipper over a deity they have more experience with than you, a Western fan who has no knowledge of Eastern religion.

It's insane. There are actual Daoist and Chinese who are pointing out the fact Nezha isn't an immortal fucking child. 

You're not only disrespectful, you insane, childish and most importantly chronically online. Nezha the god isn't a fictional character, there's nothing ‘canon’ about him. He's a god who's lived for decades longer than you, and his existence predates yours. People have long sinced worshipped Nezha, and the fact that you can so boldly tell someone they're wrong about the god they've worshipped is so disrespectful.

Do you not realize, as Nezha is worshipped as a child, he's worshipped as an adult? Do you not take into account how absolutely disgusting and horrible you are telling Daoists and Chinese who have stated time and time again the information of Nezha being an immortal child is factually incorrect that they're wrong and know nothing??

I'm repeating my statement; I'm an ex Hindu, but if anyone told me that Krishna's an immortal child too and then point out I'm wrong and my point doesn't matter, I would be seething. And I don't blame my friend who's losing their temper about Nezha's age. 

What amazes me though, somehow, is the fact that. If anyone who was Chinese + Daoist agreed with your claims, as Cole from Twitter once did, none of you would've spoken that way to my friend. But of course, once she points out she's Chinese/ex Daoist and disagrees with you, majority of the opinions switched because, she wasn't agreeing with your headcanon, right? So even though she's Chinese, she's bad because she disagreed with you.

You're all disgusting and fucking weird.

And the fact y'all in this fandom will habitually prove yourselves as hypocrites by attacking people, and then ignoring the ones who are capable of proving you're wrong to cling to a false idea is insane. You guys need some actual help, holy fucking shit. 

Nezha isn't an immortal child. That's a god. If he was intended to be a child in LMK, there would've been statements about it. 

Seperate fiction from religion, and seperate your headcanon from canon and the actual god. If you think this biased headcanon is okay and attacking people that point you out for being wrong is somehow okay, I sincerely ask that you take a break from the internet, and read a book.

No, don't just read a book. Read a history book. Pick up some knowledge, understand how religion and history works. 

Furthermore. The research some of you guys are doing is actually shit, by the way. You guys aren't researching properly if you can pull up with Nezha is 12, thing. If you actually cared about his age, you'd put more effort and actually stop being disrespectful to the people who are giving you the proper information. You only research surface level so you can attack people.

And additionally, stop playing the Devil's advocate. Most of you are just Western fans who think you know everything from reading one book or watching one show. You read JTTW or watch OSP’s videos and suddenly, you know more than an actual Chinese person or Daoist. You look up Wikipedia and think, “Oh yeah, I'll go with this!” And that's it. Most of you at best can provide only three websites at most, and I can bet my ass that these websites with information about Nezha's age was written by a fan who got their information from a shit source.

I love History, and most specifically, I love religion. Not so much the divine aspects as it is about the myths that surround it. Whenever I get into a fandom, I need to find out more about their religion and history. Getting into JTTW, and eventually, LMK, pushed me into a rabbit hole of Chinese myths that I really enjoy learning. But dealing with idiots who think they know more?? It's sickening as shit.

I'd like to think I'm good at literature things because once it's a religion or myth I want to learn everything about it. But I know I don't know everything, and I know especially I have more to learn. I'd never tell someone who is a part or worships the religion/culture I'm learning that they're factually incorrect about it just because I have an opinion and I learnt my info from a random source.

You guys in the LMK fandom are incredibly entitled. The Nezha is 12 controversy is a headcanon, which became worst by that asshat Cole on Twitter. And because so many of you don't want to learn the truth, whenever someone tries to point out and help you, you ignore them or attack them, and deny their heritage.

And honestly?? You guys suck. 

And this is coming from me!! Some of y'all are grown ass adults too!! And yet I'm childish and immature!?!

Brother I literally turned 18 a few months ago, yet I'm 100% certain I'm not throwing a blasted hissy fit over a fucking god the way some of you all who are most definitely adults are doing.

And finally, the one thing that actually does make me laugh is because I'm pretty sure most of you didn't do History classes. One of the most important things my history teacher taught me is; don't use Wikipedia as a source of viable information. Thousands of people are capable of accessing Wikipedia and changing information as they want, and so it's much better to find book solid resources from libraries. I did in fact use Wikipedia too (hypocritical of me yeah) so of course I wouldn't advise using the screenshots I provided from Wikipedia as evidence to the argument, because anything on Wikipedia can be changed. If I'm feeling extra petty I could change something myself to be in the right.

Furthermore, if you dare to bring up only JTTW and FSSY as a plausible argument about Nezha's age, I'm genuinely going to throw hands and fuck your mother. I think my friend also mentioned it in their posts but I'll mention it here too; JTTW does NOT state Nezha's age. I've read JTTW, and aside from Wukong vs Nezha there's nothing else that states Nezha's age. For all we're aware of, Wukong called Nezha a kid just out of spite, and I do it too when I'm arguing with someone. FSSY is the Investiture of the Gods and the ORIGINS!! Do you THINK a book about the ORIGINS of the gods would focus on other aspects about them!!? No!!

I expect some of the arguments I might get are;

"Oh, Nezha [appearances] could be wearing a glamor!" That is a headcanon, as we see nothing in LMK to refute that. Macaque's scar is canon because it's shown within the show. Nezha's appearance has NOT fluctuated since he was introduced. The idea of him using a glamor or illusion is a HEADCANON unless proven by the show. And headcanons are NOT vital.

"But you use Wikipedia too :(" Which I pointed out and made aware of, which is I also doubt that source myself. If any of you did History, your teachers are supposed to INFORM you that using a website is NOT a good idea for backing up information, and it's much better to use books or other trusted sources. In the case of Nezha, I'm trusting actual Daoists/Chinese who knows more about him than I do. It's because I did PROPER research that I even came across a good source of information, aka @ruibaozha, who I'm sure can share more light on this than me! The fact that some of you guys won't even acknowledge them is almost proof that...you're clinging to a headcanon. Jackass.

"But Nezha in JTTW/FSSY are 7/12 and that's where LMK takes it's inspiration from so obviously―" We've seen for a fact LMK does NOT follow JTTW to the letter. Jade Emperor beating Wukong?? Lady Bone Demon being a powerful foe and being trapped in a bunker? Azure even being able to kill the Emperor? Majority of the LMK fandom likes to point out that LMK Macaque and JTTW Macaque are two different people, especially when you claim that Macaque is a bad character because he cannibalized the monkeys. So then, with this logic, JTTW Nezha, FSSY Nezha, and LMK Nezha are also three seperate figures. I swear someone made a post about the differences JTTW and FSSY Nezha have too, but I can't find it so meh. The point still remains though. LMK Nezha are two different people, you're not making any sense to me about that argument. Even then, LMK isn't taking direct inspiration and putting their own twist. Who says anything needs to be accurate??

"The writer only said Nezha's an adult to ship lotuspeach!" Are you faintly aware people, actual Chinese people, have shipped these characters together? Proshippers can come from anywhere but I genuinely doubt every single person is a proshipper because of course, they're aware their god isn't an eternal child. On top of that, in a situation like this another writer would point out that Nezha ISN'T an adult. No one has argued against this claim, so why persist? Where's your logic coming from if not entitlement?

I want this to be the last time I have to talk about Nezha, because I made my blog to write porn and me smooching my favorite LMK characters. I kinda don't really like making discussions like this because that's not the point of my blog.

However...I do like rambling. A lot :)))

Anyways, point blank. LMK fandom needs to grow out of this entitled mindset and stop ignoring the facts from experts. You guys are just being annoying at this point.

My argument isn't really valid tbh, just pointless rambling because I only know basic information. I think you guys should find proper information from accounts online.

Also, if you're gonna argue: don't bring be albeist, racist etc etc. I'm capable of cussing you out without bringing up your mental health, race or identity :)))

[scroogemcducksbastardchild]

i'm not reblogging this directly so as not to derail, but i think this line gets misinterpreted pretty regularly within the fandom and i wanted to go over that + offer my interpretation :3

the original line it's referencing comes from act 3, scene 1 of romeo and juliet, after romeo kills tybalt to avenge mercutio:

tybalt falls benvolio: romeo, away, begone! the citizens are up, and tybalt slain. sound not amazed. the prince will doom thee death if thou art taken. hence, be gone, away. romeo: o, i am fortune's fool!

here, romeo is remarking on his bad luck after being effectively doomed by fate (and more broadly, the narrative). to atone for tybalt's murder, romeo has to leave verona on pain of death, pretty much because he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

the line can also apply to his relationship with juliet. had circumstances been different, she and romeo could have had a happy life together. it was fate that kept them apart, not a lack of love. fortune would have them on opposite sides.

will's arc, however, was set into motion because of hannibal. he was manipulated into killing gjh and then eventually randall tier, although tier's murder was more by will's volition than hannibal's. then in season 3b, after will has found stability with molly, hannibal returns and gets will to kill again.

i think that if will hadn't met hannibal, he would have had a chance at a happy, normal life, or as close to one as he could get. will's relationship with molly was an attempt to reclaim that life from hannibal- to save himself from hannibal's perception of him. but hannibal ultimately came between will and molly, just as fate prevented romeo from finding a sense of stability in juliet.

so is this line romantic? yeah, if you want it to be! hannibal's manipulation of will did come from a place of love ("no one can be fully aware of another human being unless we love them. by that love, we see potential in our beloved. through that love, we allow our beloved to see their potential. expressing that love, our beloved's potential comes true") but it also deprived will of the normalcy that i think on some level, he craved almost as much as he did understanding.

but i don't think this line is a proclamation of love from will as much as it is an announcement of blame. will blames hannibal for the loss of the life he could have had before hannibal or with molly (which parallels romeo's banishment from verona) and it's not until the finale that we actually see him choose hannibal.

tldr: will is saying that he's not a victim of fate, he's a victim of hannibal. here's the original post (op is cool, go check em out!!)

[modmamono]

"All non-numbered Puyo Puyo games aren't mainline." No. Please hear me out.

Someone pointed me to someone still perpetuating and you're reading the results of my reaction.

This isn't a call-out to anyone in particular, and I'm fully aware some reading this may've just been misinformed. To some it just flat-out doesn't apply. And others don't know what I'm talking about. By the end of it I hope I've made my point. And apologies if any of this is a bit too harsh.

Recommended that you read this with some passing familiarity in Puyo Puyo at minimum.

Context for those not in the know.

For over a decade there have been people who're adamant that only the numbered Puyo Puyo games count as mainline Puyo Puyo games.

Meaning there have been only 7 total mainline games to them:

Puyo Puyo (1991, 1992)

Puyo Puyo Tsu (1994)

Puyo Puyo Sun (1996)

Puyo Puyo~n (1999)

Puyo Puyo Fever (2003)

Puyo Puyo Fever 2 (2005)

Puyo Puyo 7 (2009)

[If you're confused, all these games have puns that make them phonetically numbered in Japanese or English even if they aren't on paper.]

That's 7 out of 16 games mainline games.

What are the mainline games?

(I'll be calling the numbered games by their number from now on for the sake of this blogpost and only this blogpost.)

Puyo Puyo (1991) | **Puyo Puyo 0**

Puyo Puyo (1992) | **Puyo Puyo 1**

Puyo Puyo Tsu (1994) | **Puyo Puyo 2**

Puyo Puyo Sun (1996) | **Puyo Puyo 3**

Puyo Puyo~n (1999) | **Puyo Puyo 4**

Puyo Puyo Box (2000)

Minna de Puyo Puyo (2001)

Puyo Puyo Fever (2003) | **Puyo Puyo 5**

Puyo Puyo Fever 2 (2005) | **Puyo Puyo 6**

Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary (2006)

Puyo Puyo 7 (2009) | **Puyo Puyo 7**

Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary (2011)

Puyo Puyo Tetris (2014)

Puyo Puyo Chronicle (2016)

Puyo Puyo Champions (2018)

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (2020)

I will be arguing from this point of view. Though I will admit that I personally don't think games like Minna and Champions are very relevant. But that's irrelevant because I do think they are Mainline (and my reasoning isn't number-based).

Your mileage may vary though. But at least there are still more mainline ones than 7. This is what makes the most sense to me. But all I ask is you to either roll with this or hear me out. Not to take me as gospel.

What makes a mainline Puyo Puyo game?

I'd define a mainline Puyo Puyo games by a Player vs Player kind of experience. It's not even about the content as much as it is about the foundation.

All 16 games have that foundation. Puyo Puyo 0 might lack a lot of other stuff later games have, but it evolved a game later into Puyo Puyo 1. Making it mainline as well.

Also just because a game deviates a little from other games doesn't make it not mainline too.

Take Chronicle for example, while the main mode only has a single game board for a grand majority of its campaign, it still has a full-fledged PvP mode. Something you can't say of the Nazo Puyo games.

[Edit: Canon ≠ Mainline.

I cut this originally, but it's clear to me I need to add this back in:

Games are more than their stories. These games do not have to be canon to one another to be mainline. For example, I don't consider Minna de Puyo Puyo canon. I do consider it mainline.

This is about the content the game offer you. Not the stories. Because Canon ≠ Mainline.

I knew people conflate those two. But I cut it because I made that clear in the section above.

The rest of this post has been untouched.]

Why does this matter?

A question best left for the end. But I'm tackling it now.

It matters because it's damaging.

If you think the only mainline count towards the story are the numbered 7. The last Puyo Puyo game that "mattered" is Puyo Puyo 7 in 2009...

It's 2023.

Why are you waiting on a new "mainline" game when we've been getting them for a while? I will get into why they are mainline now.

Why would you inform a newbie that over half of games don't matter? Am I missing something here? I'm willing to admit that maybe I'm tackling this uncharitably, but even charitably it still confuses me why one would do that.

The part of the post where try and make my cases as to why each Puyo Puyo game listed here is mainline.

(Please note that Puyo Nexus doesn't have a list of the amount of rules each game has on their respective pages. And I'm not counting endless modes as rules, even if they are. Regardless of my accuracy, it shouldn't deter from my point much as the rough idea will also get it across.)

1. Puyo Puyo 0 | Puyo Puyo (1991)

Story: None Single-Player stages: (52 Nazo Puyo Puzzles) No. of rules: 1 PvP: 2-player (but not the main draw at the time) Playable characters: None

Some consider Puyo Puyo 0 a prototype of Puyo Puyo 1. I consider it a separate game. And thus the first game in the series. You'd be silly to not consider this game as mainline regardless of whether you think this is PP0 or the first version of PP1.

And the pieces are there. The main focus is Endless Puyo. But the PvP mode is there which became the main focus one game later where the series' appeal still lies.

But for now this is just the humble start of Puyo Puyo.

Interesting thing regarding this main series debate is that this game has Nazo Puyo. Only 2-and-a-half games have that mode in earnest, at least how it is here. Nazo Puyo is a spin-off. The games PC-98 Nazo Puyos, Nazo Puyo 1, 2, and 3, and Super Nazo Puyo 1 and 2 aren't mainline, but their DNA are directly from this game as Puyo Puyo 1's DNA is.

2. Puyo Puyo 1 | Puyo Puyo (1992)

Story: Yes Single-Player stages: 13/16 Stages (Depends on the version you're playing.) No. of rules: 1 PvP: 2-player Playable characters: None

Ta-da! Puyo Puyo 1!

This is the game that put the series on track to how we know it now. 1v1 matches. Characters. Them each having their own AI. If Puyo Puyo 0 was the spine Puyo Puyo 1 is nearly every other bone in the body of Puyo Puyo. This is the baseline of what every other mainline Puyo Puyo game will be.

The 1v1 aspect of it was what made the game stand out, if you play a PvP Tetris-like game they owe Puyo Puyo 1 a lot.

That said, while I prefer PP1 over PP0, I wouldn't call it a perfect sequel to PP0. Outside of the Game Gear version there is no Nazo Puyo mode.

But as I said, Nazo Puyo spun-off into its own series. So that's not the biggest deal. I play PvP Puyo games for PvP and Nazo for Nazo. They could've had the two modes be joined in each entry forever, and they didn't. What can you do?

I'd go over what makes this game mainline, but it's a numbered game.

3. Puyo Puyo 2 | Puyo Puyo Tsu (1994)

Story: Typically no. Depends on the version. Single-Player stages: 33 (but you're likely to fight waaaay less than that) (not counting tutorial fights like some versions have) (counted Satan and final Masked Satan as one.) No. of rules: 1 PvP: 2-player (4-Player on Super Famicom.) Playable characters: None

The standard Tsu rules are here!

I don't have to go into what makes this one mainline. Only that it has an atypical single-player progression for the series and that in most versions don't have much in the way of cutscenes.

This game did a lot for the series but didn't add much I'm now realizing.

4. Puyo Puyo 3 | Puyo Puyo Sun (1996)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 24 (26 if you count Carbuncle) No. of rules: 1 PvP: 2-player Playable characters: 16 (18 with cheats) (22 total on GBC [check])

It's the third game!

And it made a huge leap by adding a character select! This is such a huge deal we take it for granted now.

I don't need to make an argument in its favor.

5. Puyo Puyo 4 | Puyo Puyo~n (1999)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 16 (21 on PlayStation) (9-to-17 on GBC) No. of rules: 1* (2 on Nintendo 64) (* With several obstacles for a lack of a better term.) PvP: 4-player (2-Player on PlayStation and possibly GBC) Playable characters: 18 (23 on GBC)

It's Puyo Puyo 4! The slow one!

Another one I don't have to argue. It's numbered.

If you don't mind I'm skipping over the GBC version. Just know it's a different story. And based on Puyo Puyo Quest it's not the version that happened based on how Doppelganger Arle acts.

6. Puyo Puyo Box (2000)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: "FUCK BOX' ENCOUNTER RATE ahem. Too many." ~A friend No. of rules: 5 PvP: 4-player Playable characters: None.

This is our first non-numbered game. But at the time is was as close to a Puyo Puyo 5 as you were gonna get seeing as this was Compile's last Puyo Puyo hurrah before SEGA took over the reigns the next year.

Let's give an overview of what this game has to offer:

An RPG mode. (I've seen enough people dismiss this game on that alone.)

Normal vs Puyo matches.

The 4 main rulesets of the previous numbered games.

Excavation Rules. (Something the does come back in some later titles.)

Like... Those middle two facts alone make this a valid mainline game. And that's twice as many modes as the N64 version of Puyo Puyo 4! Otherwise that's 5 times the amount of modes!

This is more Puyo then we've even gotten up until this point. And people call this a spin-off?

And have I've gotten into the fact you can mix-and-match rules? I can choose between PP1, 2, 3, and 4 rules, and my opponent can select something differently from me! THAT'S AWESOME! No other game has done that since. That's something you do when you wanna up the ante on the formula that's already there. That's not something relegated to a spin-off.

This game's mainline as hell.

This is the game where you find Schezo sleeping in a treasure chest.

7. Minna de Puyo Puyo (2001)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 20 (And if you do that twice more you get 16 more stages.) No. of rules: 1* (* With several obstacles for a lack of a better term.) PvP: 4-player Playable characters: 17

The true start to SEGA's run of Puyo Puyo.

Like this is easy: mainline. It's just several stages of Tsu rules. It has way more stages than any given Compile-made Puyo game.

It often gets dismissed in general. Like this only thing people remember this game for is "Stop". But it's on par, above par even.

I do consider the game non-relevant though. This game didn't leave much of an impact. You could say SEGA's run started with the next game and the only reason people will correct you is because this obscure GBA game actually started it.

8. Puyo Puyo 5 | Puyo Puyo Fever (2003)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 19 No. of rules: 3 PvP: 2-Player (8-Player on DS) Playable characters: 16

It's Puyo Puyo 5!

I'm not gonna go into this title much either.

It's a soft reboot (for now) in a new world with new characters. It's slightly above par with Puyo Puyo 3 in terms of content I wanna say.

Nobody is calling this game non-mainline and I'm not going to go against that grain.

Just know from now on, if you see this game as a soft reboot and a fresh start, no matter what other people will tell you, know that SEGA's continuity is way more solid than Compile's run ever was.

This is weird because the reputation, perhaps not at the time of writing anymore but for the longest time in the west at least, is that SEGA doesn't care about continuity but Compile did.

From Puyo Puyo 0 to Minna I skipped over a ton of games. They legit made too much they didn't bother keeping a continuity. From now on, with a few exceptions (namely Puyo Puyo!! Quest), the rest of the games I'll talk about in this post are the only Puyo Puyo games released. And they all happened, and there's no reset button.

There are a few instances like PP5's WakuWaku/HaraHara-course-either-or, 20th Anni's Arle, Schezo, Satan, and Rulue debacle, and the Schrödinger's canon that is all of 15th Anni. But otherwise, this is all pretty solid.

9. Puyo Puyo 6 | Puyo Puyo Fever 2 (2005)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 51 No. of rules: 3 PvP: 2-Player (8-Player on DS) Playable characters: 21

I have no idea what I seriously have to say about this game.

What I said about PP5 starts here in earnest. This is the first Puyo Puyo game that actually took lore seriously. And arguably took it the most seriously of any game. And not because later games tossed it aside, it's just that you can't pry into everyone's private lives like you can here or they don't have discussions about their lives like they do in 15th Anni. The lore this game established never went away.

So if I were to bet. This whole "only numbered games matter" thing revolves around this game. People got really invested in this game's story.

Have you met my friend?:

The Crimson Spirit. (I'm calling him "Crimmy" for the sake of this post because we could all use a laugh.)

I'm gonna assume you know who he is and what his deal is.

Crimmy here is why I assume people think why SEGA doesn't care about lore. Because they introduced this guy, with a fleshed-out, fairly sympathetic, yet mysterious backstory. Yet they shelved this this guy afterwards. Like he had to return for a sequel.

I'll be honest. I don't think they had a long-term plan for Crimmy.

I know he's cool and a formidable opponent, like he's got style and bitchin' theme song.

But he's the setup to a joke in the game's story mode. Fever 2 is a pretty funny game. It's not out of the realm of possibility they made an elaborate backstory and a connection to the new kid Sig. Just to not do anything with it really.

Also, this is nothing new.

PP4's Doppelganger Arle never got a serious follow-up. We still don't know what she is.

PP5 had Popoi. He's in a similar boat to Crimmy. Only difference is there's no connection to anyone but Accord. Where are the demands that he gets elaboration? (He actually is given that but as of writing you statistically don't know about his tax collecting days.)

And later final boss figures actually got resolutions. 2 of which are arguably so easily solved it's a joke. Just like I think PP6's ending for Crimmy is.

I'm admitting to being a little dishonest here. Like Doppel's likely because of the soft rebooting (though I doubt they actually had a plan for her either) for example. Pick apart my logic all you like, doesn't change the fact Sig and Crimmy are popular and people feel like they're owed a follow-up.

I think that ship has sailed. If it was ever in the cards, it's not in the cards anymore. Because I doubt a Puyo Puyo 8 named Puyo Puyo 8 would give us the confrontation and follow-up you wanted. Because Puyo Puyo 7 sure didn't do it either.

Not that the Sig and Crimmy thing was ever forgotten. We'll keep getting drip-feed Sig and Crimmy lore. Aside from Chronicle (I think) and Champions (no duh) Crimmy does have his thumbprint in the story in some fashion (Quest especially).

I forgot if I ever had a point. But I will say that I find it silly this "only numbered games matter" thing only really hinges on this game it seems.

Because as I said, this is the first mainline Puyo Puyo game to take lore seriously. 1 out of the 6/9 games so far focuses on the lore.

Puyo Puyo 1 to 5 were self-contained episodes with reoccurring characters. Why would Puyo Puyo 6 be any different?

Not that I fault anyone for wanting a follow-up. I don't. It's just that I don't think they thought ahead Fever 2 when making Fever 2, and the next game just didn't focus on them. Or the game after that.

(Also both Sig and Crimmy are so popular, them actually squaring off might not be what you actually want. Might result in at least one getting eliminated, or a major status quo change for both. Becareful what you wish for.)

Unrelated but if I may be über pedantic:

Puyos 2 to 5 all had puns based on its the number it's on.

Puyo Puyo 5, or its proper name "Puyo Puyo Fever", is a pun on the number 5 in Japan and the new Fever mechanic.

Puyo Puyo 6's proper name is "Puyo Puyo Fever 2" or sometimes "Fever Chuu". Chuu isn't a pun on 6 at all.

Puyo Puyo Fever 2 is logically called Puyo Puyo 5-2.

And I don't care if it's officially the 6th one, or that its working title is Puyo Puyo 6, or that the game's marketing made 6 puns. Because Puyo Puyo 5-2 is a valid pun you could make. It is the sequel to a soft reboot in the same world after all.

And given there's only one game between "Puyo Puyo 5-2" and Puyo Puyo 7. Why don't people see 15th Anniversary as Puyo Puyo 6?

I wouldn't want that, and this is so arbitrary but so is the whole "only numbered games matter" thing anyways. Especially with the stuff we know about the games now we didn't know prior to the boom of new fans this fanbase has gotten with PPT1 releasing in the west.

10. Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary (2006)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 176 No. of rules: 12 PvP: 4-Player (8-Player on DS) Playable characters: 22

Hey, look! Why isn't this considered Puyo Puyo 6?

Look. I get it why this one isn't considered mainline to some people.

This is a tournament game. 22 playable characters, and only 1 could be the winner. So it's easy to dismiss this game as if didn't happen.

Except Puyo Puyo 7 and 20th Anni especially do make it clear a lot of 15th happened. Just not how we saw it.

And this game is the explanation why Satan, Schezo, Rulue, etc. are in Primp now.

This game is also important because it retroactively turns Puyo Puyo 5 from a clean-slate soft reboot to an overall soft reboot. With all the returning characters. Which only means so much since so far this series has been episodic one game's story doesn't lead into the other.

Until this game that is. Since there are a lot of call-backs and elaborations from older games. Of all games 15th Anniversary is the only game that rivals Puyo Puyo 6 in how much lore there is.

As I've said in the PP5 section, SEGA's run has a more solid continuity. And it really begins to show itself here.

Also this is the most content a Puyo Puyo game has ever gotten up until this point, it overshadows the next game even.

No spin-off in the same genre with the same cast should have more content than a mainline entry.

Spin-offs tend to focus on a different cast (like how Dynasty Warriors spin-offs like Samurai Warriors are cut from the same cloth, but it focuses on a completely different cast in a different country), or they focus on a completely different genre (look at any given Mario or Sonic Spin-off that isn't a platformer).

Same genre (same formula even), same cast.

11. Puyo Puyo 7 (2009)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 22 (47 if you count alternate scenarios) No. of rules: 5 PvP: 4-Player (8-Player on DS) Playable characters: 19

I'll cut to the chase, why is Puyo Puyo 7 held in such high importance to some people?

Besides PP4 and Minna, PP7 has to be the least-liked game by default. It does nothing with what people want out of a PP5-3. Yet this game counts as a real Puyo Puyo game while 15th and 20th don't?? You've noticed how much PP7 offers to the table, right?

I don't wanna go over why PP7 is the way it is. That's a story for another blogpost I don't wanna make because I'm not a historian.

Puyo Puyo 7 gets a ton of flack for not being as feature-rich as the game before or after it. But in terms of content I'd say it's pretty on par, if not higher than most numbered games. Something it doesn't get credit for. It's just that PP6 and 15th outdid it. PP7 is only really a bad deal because 15th Anniversary came before it on the same consoles.

It's one of the least-liked games. Yet people place this much importance on it. Sure it changed Puyo Puyo forever with the characters it introduced. The next game is a sequel to this game. But I don't know why the only game with Ringo and friends that counts is the one where they aren't fleshed out.

I'm not sure yet if anyone that still believes/believes the numbers nonsense is still reading. But would you even care about Puyo Puyo 7 if didn't have a number? Be honest with yourself. The answers will vary but I'm saying a lot people would say no. Because a lot of people frankly don't care for it now (and that's okay).

Because in the lens that only the numbered games count, this isn't a very satisfying game to go out on. Last episode, new character takes the lead. If you think every game after this isn't canon, what's the point of Ringo?

Genuine question: If you believe only the numbered games count. Would you take the opportunity to strip Puyo Puyo 7 of its 7?

I'm willing to bet a good amount of people will do that. As I said, this isn't a continuation of what people wanted from PP6 and 15th.

Also if we got a Puyo Puyo 8 right after 7, it would probably follow up on the new cast introduced in Puyo Puyo 7. Because why leave them hanging and undeveloped? Characters introduced in Puyo 5 didn't get fleshed out until Puyo 6. Good chances that the next game would've done that.

And surprise! The next game, 20th Anniversary, is that exact game!

In some alternate timeline where SEGA made a poor marketing decision, I'm convinced 20th Anniversary is called Puyo Puyo 8.

But it probably never was actually considered because look at this:

It was successful. But it also wasn't that liked. Puyo Puyo 7 kinda poisoned the prestige of a numbered Puyo Puyo game.

Combine that with how I think the western Puyo Puyo fans talk about this game more dismissively than anything...

Since then we've had 5 games that fleshed out Ringo and her friends and everyone else has been developed since which people have grown attached to. I cannot live in a world where Schezo isn't an old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn.

To turn back the clock back to the end of PP7 to make Puyo Puyo 8 is a horrible idea.

Have you met my friend?:

Ecolo.

Regardless of what you think of him. Going back PP8 as if 20th, PPT1&2, and Chronicle didn't happen is a bad idea for this fella alone.

If we went back and did a PP8 like that, all the games between 7 and now still happened. Even if they didn't happen in-universe they still definitely did in ours'. And in our universe, people like Ecolo. Thus it would make sense to have him back in PP8.

But unless they make use of the fact Ecolo can just ignore space/time it wouldn't be the same Ecolo.

In PP7 Ecolo didn't reform, frankly he was a very terrible person.

But after he bumped his head in 20th Anni he reformed and became a part of the regular cast that way. That is the story of 20th Anniversary.

This, in all likelihood, would be the story of PP8 too! Would you really want two games about Ecolo reforming? We have 20th Anniversary for that. If we did a redo in that PP8 we'd have an Ecolo reformation plot + erased canon. You will piss people off. AND it'll be pointless.

And if you think 20th Anni doesn't matter to the canon. PP7 sure thinks the "Spin-off" released before it sure mattered:

(The first 15th Anni reference in a Puyo game after it.)

Admittingly, I have heard that the original Japanese didn't mention the tournament (the one from 15th). But that's the first time Amitie and Satan met, it's the only thing it could refer to here since it's talking about behavior which is what their interaction was about. And this language they use implies they haven't really encountered each other much or if at all since 15th Anniversary.

If a "spin-off" like 15th Anniversary matters to "mainline" game Puyo Puyo 7 why wouldn't 20th Anni or literally any other Puyo games afterwards? They take about as much effort to make give or take.

For the record, I really like Puyo Puyo 7. It makes me happy and genuinely enlightened me, no joke. Not because that game's unbelievable though. Don't expect it to enlighten you.

12. Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary (2011)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 200 No. of rules: 21 PvP: 4-Player (8-Player on DS) Playable characters: 30

Hey look! It's Puyo Puyo 8! It's Puyo Puyo 7's sequel! This game wouldn't make sense if Puyo Puyo 7 didn't happen. This game is more of a sequel to PP7 than PP6 even was to PP5 or any game prior to that for that matter.

There are so many nods to past games I'm not even gonna bring them up it's too much. But one of those games is 15th, with follow-up interactions or call-backs of stuff that happened in that game. It did happen, just not in any of the 22 ways we saw it happen. A lot probably didn't even happen on the tournament stage but in the back rooms.

I already blew my load why this game and the others are mainline in the PP7 section so I don't have much more to say. The games post-PP6 and sometimes 15th and PP7 have the stigma that it's like a cartoon with a reset button. But 20th isn't like that. No game starting with PP5 has been like that.

13. Puyo Puyo Tetris (2014)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 70 (100 total if you include DLC.) (Do note not nearly that much stages with story content.) No. of rules: 5 PvP: 4-Player Playable characters: 24

Everything I have to say about this game has been covered in the PP7 and if not I'll cover it in the PPT2 section.

This is the first game with a reformed Ecolo though. He acts the part. Still a brat.

Also just because it's a crossover doesn't mean it isn't canon. They just legally can't acknowledge the game happened in other non-Tetris crossovers is all.

14. Puyo Puyo Chronicle (2016)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: RPG mode. 24 mandatory bosses, a bunch of other bosses, and a whole ton of regular encounters. No. of rules: 18 PvP: 4-Player Playable characters: 24 (+ too many to bother listing in RPG mode.)

Similar to Puyo Puyo Tetris 1, I plan to save most of my talk about this game until Puyo Puyo Tetris 2. I wonder how much of a surprise that is.

But yeah this game's mainline.

Have you met my friend?:

Her name is Ally.

It took Ally a while, but I'd say she's part of the main cast by now.

She's sticking around.

And for the validity of the game. Just because it has an RPG mode doesn't disqualify it being a main game. Regardless of the quality of the story.

If that disqualifies that game I'm gonna disqualify PP6's as a mainline game since it has more emphasis on world-building. That's an arbitrary thing to base things off of too.

15. Puyo Puyo Champions (2018)

Story: No. Single-Player stages: 50 Hidden Nazo Puzzles. No. of rules: 2 PvP: 4-Player Playable characters: 27

It's main game. I'd rather not count it, but despite the lack of a story and merely two modes, it fits the bill.

Interestingly this is the first mainline game with Nazo Puyo modes since PP1 on Game Gear. And making it the first Nazo Puyo period since the mid-90s. You just gotta suffer through too many mindless, borderline-useless tutorial drills to get to play them.

Side-note: It's really funny to me that Puyo Puyo 0, the first game and the only other game to have Nazo Puyo, has more Nazo Puzzles than Champions.

Like this game's weird. I'm not sure I can properly defend it like the other games. And I hope you understand why. To me it barely qualifies.

16. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (2020)

Story: Yes. Single-Player stages: 92 No. of rules: 6 PvP: 8-Player (?) Playable characters: 28 (40 with DLC)

Puyo Puyo Tetris 1, 2, and Chronicle are the most interconnected the games have ever been. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 does not work if Puyo Puyo Tetris 1 didn't happen. This is the most sequel a Puyo Puyo story has been. Even more than 20th was to PP7.

It's also a showcase of how much continuity still matters in Puyo Puyo because of Ex and the people that helped him Squares got pissed and wanted to destroy them. That's the most direct cause and effect between games.

Any dimensional rules they established in PPT1 and 2 apply to Chronicle retroactively as well. They even reference the fact Chronicle happened. There's the full Ally chapter. But even as early as Stage 2-P1 there's this:

"this stuff" refers to Skill Battle Rule. Introduced in Chronicle and before Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 ONLY in Chronicle. It's just locked in Arle's subconscious right now.

Chronicle happened. As did this game. And as did Puyo Puyo Tetris 1 as it's connected to 20th Anni. 20th Anni as established is the true Puyo Puyo 8 and thus a sequel to Puyo Puyo 7. Puyo Puyo 7, a numbered game, says 15th Anni is canon so why shouldn't the game past Puyo Puyo 7? Of course Puyos 1-6 happened too. And PP0 is the bedrock. [Cronicle also mentioned Puyo Puyo Box.]

Gameplay-wise you could prefer a certain thing one game has over another. All these games will give you what'd you want out of a Puyo Puyo game. If you visited your fellow Puyo Puyo fan's house to play some Puyo Puyo and for some reason, all they had was 2 copies of Minna, 2 GBAs, and a link cable for some reason, are you gonna complain? Doesn't matter what you think of the gamefeel, it's still Puyo Puyo, it services VS Puyo Puyo matches like PP 0 to 7 would. Just like Box, 15th, 20th, Tetris 1&2, and Champions do.

It's what the single-player Nazo Puyo doesn't deliver. It's what Madou Monogatari doesn't deliver. But these 16 games deliver it. They are mainline games. Even if they don't have a number.

So why tell people that the majority of these games are lesser?

Regardless if you mean to imply that or not, that is what you're implying. Why would you imply that? You like Puyo Puyo right? Wouldn't you want others to like Puyo Puyo?

I find this rich because 4 and 7 are the least favorites and numbered. Meanwhile 15th and 20th give you more bang for your buck and are way more liked by people.

And not for nothing, but aside from PP6 the numbered games are fairly nothing games. You beat them but unless you wanna improve yourself you're done with the game in 13 to 20-ish stages.

The non-numbered games except for Minna and Champions has a lot more to offer than the numbered games.

And this isn't new. A lot of franchises stop numbering their games.

Sly Cooper has 4 games but the 4th isn't numbered. But unless it gets retconned it's canon and mainline.

Ratchet & Clank games were numbered 1 to 3 in Europe, but a large majority are both canon and mainline.

Super Mario Bros. is a series that stopped numbering. Super Mario World is SMB4 in Japan, but we don't have a number. And I would look crazy if I told you that game wasn't mainline. Is the upcoming Super Mario Wonder not mainline because it's not numbered?

I could go on.

The difference is that Puyo Puyo counted higher than those franchises ever did.

My conclusion I guess?

This overblown importance on number is a lazy shortcut to deeming what's canon or not. And a relic of a time when the western fans could barely play any of the games in English legally or not.

(Thanks to @nenilein and Fred for helping to keep focus.)

[a-s-levynn]

hi levynn :) i just wanted to swing through and say, genuinely from the bottom of my little heart, thank you for sharing your art with us, both sleep token art and your general art. you're so INCREDIBLY talented, even things you say "oh i'm not sure how i feel about this" always manage to look stupendous. i know i say it in the tags of just about everything you post... but i wanted to make sure you know. from your absolutely incredible concepts, stunning offerings, and everyone's beloved tiny token, you are a gift to the fandom and i hope you know how valued you are <3

I am the one who owes gratitude to you all, and i'm not saying that to be humble. I genuinly would not be anywhere without this fandom. If i can give back at least a fraction of what i got, i'm happy. I honestly would not be even drawing if not for you guys.

And to be fair, even if i say i don't feel one of my drawings, i am fully aware that most of them are not bad in general. I know i have to see some value in it, otherwise i would not share it. As far i've experienced, and this is true for every creator, if you share something, there is something you are proud of in it. Either a minute detail or the idea behind it, or whatever. But there is something in it that you actually like even if the overall outcome differs from the original goal.

That is why i try to leave at least a word or two niceness under stuff i reblog, especially if it's not from the biggest names in the fandom and maybe not the most perfect realistic whatever. Because people did it for me as well and it is so nice to see something encouraging. And every creation made with love deserves to be observed and fandom art usually comes from love in my experience. I'm of course can't do it all the time for everything but i try my best.

And talent.. it's a funny word, because i can't even say i am a self thought artist [and i am only using artist here because i lack a better word but i am not considering myself an artist]. The only thing i might be good at is eyeballing proportions. But even that is a learnable skill, so who knows.

I am unsure how valued i actually am because i am but a small blog with semi successful reach, but i rambled on long enough and still not said thank you, which i should, but i truly mean that neither Tiny Token, the small offerings nor anything else would have come to be if i'm not encountering the wonderful, lovely, smart, funny, cool, welcoming people in this very fandom. So thank You. You all are so loved.

[emelinstriker]

About those 3 Anon messages recently...

Yes, there's 3 now. Third on came up while I was finishing typing about the 2nd one.

tl;dr context: peeps defending a fictional 2D lego character, questioning the morality of esau (despite the lack of lore context), as well as for some reason a personal attack on me... also smol chinese jesus??? :'D

DISCLAIMER:

I respect y'all's opinions and headcanons and whatnot. It's all valid. However. I expect respect on my own opinions and headcanons return. That's literally all I'm asking.

That's common sense and I will from this point on just delete anyone else's anon asks if they try to argue with me about my standings on these matters mentioned in here. Or this post in general.

There's literally no point in arguing over words written in a story, or debating whether or not pixels on a screen are hot or not.

With that disclaimer being said...

Case 1:

I'm fully aware of the entire discussion thing of Nezha being eternally 12 and all that, but I'm also fully aware of how LMK Nezha is more of a parody on the original. LMK Nezha is more of an adult 2D character who took the characteristics of the source, but then was turned into an aged-up parody.

It's not weird with the context of how things even came to be in the AU. It does involve a form of "infection" that changes those that are infected. In ESAU it's just slightly different from my original story's OCs to appeal more to the Reader. There are people out there who seek comfort in their own superiority complex too, especially if they can never explore that part of themselves normally. If that doesn't appeal to you, that's fine. But don't assume it's weird just because you don't like it if a fictional master/servant relationship isn't for you.

Now, this ask wasn't really bad or directly disrespectful. That was just basic questioning on the general relationship of the AU as well as the LMK Nezha being 12 discussion. So I went to bed, cuz I didn't wanna respond with my rather aggressive response to the topic. Like, I ranted about it to my Discord server, but it was already around midnight and I knew I'd come off as aggressive, despite the logic and facts, if I just copy n pasted the way I phrased the rant. So I went to bed. But then I woke up to an essay in another ask...

Case 2:

I'm assuming this is the exact same person, based on the timeframe and the writing style..? Maybe even the same person who asked that question about whether I'd make Nezha's relationship towards the Reader romantic or platonic..??

For the sake of this entire thing being unworthy of an unnecessary discussion, as well as the fact that the person sending this isn't worth directly responding to if they hide behind an anon face, knowing they would get flamed, I will solely respond to these for my actual viewers, who do enjoy ESAU.

As in, I noticed how almost every single point is easily arguable. Like, they literally just made it up as if every single relationship between the Reader and their champions is romantic. Which couldn't be further from the truth. This is a point I wanna get more into due to how it covers the Master System more. A random anon sending me questions, or rather statements, like this doesn't deserve to get a detailed response to this directly either. My viewers do deserve more insight though. Be it to avoid more people thinking this is automatically grooming, or just to give interested people more lore dump.

To keep it short: Everyone who wants to be a Reader, is a Reader. I myself am a Reader of fiction, which is why I use my persona to fill in the Reader's space in any drawing I do for ESAU. Which is also why Macaque referred to their Master currently being female in that one drawing- Because in that moment, in my drawings, I'm technically seen as their Master.

So when you see the champions swap between their Master using non-binary or female pronouns, this is why. If you see me draw them referring to their Master as a "she", they're referring to basically their current Master in that exact moment. However, literally anyone else can also be placed in that spot.

Whenever I refer to a Reader's reincarnation, I usually mean either "the same person, but another life" OR "different people of the same/a different life". As in, the Reader can imagine themselves having had multiple past lives, or their "past life" is actually another Reader. We're all the Reader. That's why I kept saying the Master System is rather philosophical.

The Reader can imagine themselves if they met their champions as a child or as an adult. However, nothing in ESAU is forced to be romantic or sexual. If you were born as a prince/princess/royalty, that doesn't mean your servants are immediately destined to be romantic or sexual with you, right? That entire portion is up to the Reader to decide and imagine. I do not control what another person thinks of and imagines. If they chose to pick a darker path, the fuck do you want me to do about that? Unless it ends up hurting anyone, or they actively push the topic onto others, I see no issue with however a Reader wants to think up what happens in their life with their servants. All I do is create material for others to play with.

Except for the First Master, any other Reader can be considered either the same person or various people. That's up to the person behind the screen, whether they feel more comforted with one idea or another.

On the Nezha being 12 topic... Do people know what a parody is, I-

LMK Nezha looks more like THIS-

Not as young as THIS-

And he was never said to be 12 years old in LMK. Nor does he look 12, act 12, speak 12, sound 12... LMK needs to be seen and accepted as more like a parody AU of the original story, if that wasn't obvious enough. I find it funny how they brought up my own age though-

Cuz yeah, I'm 21, almost 22, and I do understand the difference between reality's religions, fictional 2D pixels, and the difference between the source and a parody. Wow. Shocker. I know.

Or as I said it in tags earlier today-

Also I'd just like to add… If we go by the theory of specifically LMK Nezha still being 12, despite literally thousands of years having passed, his body being depicted as a fully grown adult in basically every single goddamn aspect of his character within the show… Literally all he got is his paperwork saying he's 12. Like- LMK Nezha would literally just be one of those people that were born on February 29th. Just him not getting any birthdays. Do you assume after literal thousands of years, with his body and mind being mature, and only his paperwork saying he's 12, this dude wouldn't be tryna explore more of himself and his interests, wh-

Like- LMK Nezha isn't the original source Nezha. Simple as that. Just accept it's a parody and be done with it. If you don't agree with it, that's your opinion and I respect that. But don't you dare fucking push that opinion on others who do actually accept the show as a parody and wanna live out their fantasies in said parody.

Your opinion does not mean it's the opinion of others.

Like, the entire age thing in LMK is such a headcanon thing to the point where no one seems to have a solid age, besides maybe MK, who I've seen people calculate his age for due to his driving license and all that. LMK Nezha is confirmed to be depicted as an adult within the show, which is the headcanon I'm going with, regardless of whatever bullshittery people are trying to argue with.

In conclusion: Nezha may be eternally 12 in a story. But that story is NOT Lego Monkie Kid.

On a side note, something I found ironic and funny, is if an aged up character isn't allowed to be sexualized, then I guess if someone ages a character down, suddenly that original source of the character is no longer allowed to be sexualized either, just because that character suddenly has a younger version of themselves. It's not even the younger version that's being sexualized. That literally is the entire logic of this debate on not wanting a fictional character to have an aged up version of themselves.

Good job, nobody wins. I guess nothing can be sexualized at that point- But then again, Rule 34 wouldn't exist then.

Okay, but now this, THIS is where I got REALLY annoyed, cuz NOW we're getting into more personal territory of nitpicking at ESAU. And those who know me are aware of how I go Asian mom mode when my creations, or younger friends and mutuals, are being wrongfully disrespected.

In general, their entire point is a snowflake-behavior nitpick. Branding is also seen as a way to claim ownership over something. The torture part is basically just the pain of it. I could've also just have the champions have one of those toy stamps for lil children be slapped onto them if you really wanna snowflake it all for tHe PrEcIoUs cHilDrEn...

C'mon. I grew up with FNAF and Creepypastas. Which tend to be usually two of the first fandoms I see children get interested in and hyperfixated on. Mentions of brandmarks that have fully healed ain't nothin' at all.

Like, I literally met a boy who was 8ish years old, who was so happy and hyped about FNAF that he asked me to draw Freddy and Bonnie.

Creepypastas also might make one edgy for a while, but they do grow A LOT from it once they leave that phase. So far, everyone I've ever talked to about Creepypastas in the past became such a good person. Because they look back, and recognize morals so much better. They have seen what bad things can happen and we all know where to draw the line between what's fine, and what's not. Nitpicking on LMK Nezha and ESAU doesn't mean anything since it's just that, nitpicking. I know where to draw the line, but this line these people set is a line no one but themselves can imagine.

Show children bits of reality's darker side and they will know how to deal with the knowledge much better and faster as they grow. That wasn't even just about branding, but I'm tired of people saying how we need to keep children safe. Well yeah, keep them safe physically, but they will never fucking grow and become more independent unless you fucking let them think and process the good AND the bad for themselves.

Also on the topic of adding content warnings- Like, the fuck do you want me to even add? Those asks other people sent of the Reader being basically raised by their servants need no warnings, X Readers in general need no warnings, the brandmarks need no warnings cuz they're just there as aesthetic symbols for anyone not invested in the lore, LMK Nezha needs no content warnings-

Literally the only content warning I'd ever need to add is something like gore, which I do admit I didn't add on the ESAU!Nezha X Reader one.

And I'd just like to add a little something that made me raise an eyebrow: They complained about me going against "Wukong's celibacy vows" when they literally admitted to actively looking through the LMK X Reader tag. While that doesn't necessarily mean they would marry or bang Wukong, that means they're at least curious or interested in what a relationship with any of those characters would be like. Which by all means, would not be possible without it being fiction/fanfiction, and without them having some curiosity or interest in the 2D show of LMK.

Like you're literally telling me I'm practically hurting a fictional character's feelings on the matter, but then turn around and try to get with another character.

Fanfiction and AU's are a thing, man. It's all opinions, headcanons, and literally made up shenanigans. And there's nothing wrong with it when it differs from one person to another.

But dumping empty accusations onto me, someone who thinks more logically than emotionally, literally doesn't help your case. Like, you're debating whether or not this 2D character would actually give a shit if someone would wanna bang them cuz they look hot to the other person.

Case 3:

This one just got dropped into my inbox as I finished typing out the last paragraph and just- This is literally just a unnecessary and only somewhat personal hatred thing at this point- But I'm wheezing at the idea of a smol Chinese Jesus-

Bro, as someone who was forced to be Christian on paper, but never gave a shit about it, because Religion doesn't prove anything or form you, I really don't care. And even if that were the case, I wouldn't complain. It's all fiction dammit. You're again, defending pixels on a screen. Besides that, that wouldn't even be the original source character, again. Also in general, honestly, I see any religious story as fiction anyway. Cuz that literally is what a religion is- You put a belief onto someone over a being/a story-

If you're religious, I respect that. But so do you have to respect that I'm not exactly religious myself.

Case 3 was probably the most directly aggressive one of the 3, but also the most unmeaningful one and so unnecessary one... as if that would be the one to prove a point.

Anyway, rant over, I'm done with this.

If I see any other personal hate on me for not sharing the same fucking opinion on such a niche debate, I'll just ignore and delete it all. This is such a pointless topic.

ESAU is supposed to be a comfort zone for those who actually do feel connected to it. If you don't, that's fine, I fully respect it. If people believe Nezha is 12, I respect that. But don't push that onto those who literally are just here to have a nice time away from shit like this. If you wanna "keep the children safe", fucking keep them away from this sort of nowhere-leading discussion topic.

Literally look at Genshin's Twitter Community, this just feels like the exact same type of unnecessary drama I see there.

And no I will not tag these 3 anons. If they respect me enough, they will either just keep quiet or block me and move on. I don't mind. But I refuse to let this bullshit be a whole ass discussion when I'm just trying to have a good time connecting to my viewers after a long day at work. If they look for a fight for some reason, I won't give them one. They can pick someone else for this bullshit, it's not worth my time as it's all OPINION AND HEADCANON-BASED.

And such debates don't end in peace. So I'd rather be the bigger, more mature person and just say "This is the line. Discussion over. We're done here".

Have a nice day, anyone who actually is nice and respectful towards others and their own takes/opinions on things! Weekend's here now tho so y'all ESAU lovers might see some wholesome lil doodles! :D

[wildissylupus]

I feel bad for other characters in Overwatch like Lucio, Zarya, Echo, Baston, Orisa, And Ana (add more if I missed anyone) for lacking in spotlight and attention, and having more depth in their lore, like these folks have been here since OW1. Even OW2 rolls in there's still nothing when it comes to their lore fells like they've completely for gotten.

NO the entire game has been completely forgotten NO THANKS to Blizzard and their managing skills. It sucks I hate it.

The thing is with characters like Lucio, Zarya, Echo, Baston, Orisa, and Ana they do get explored in the lore. Orisa's origin has a whole Novel dedicated to it, not only that she now has a short story exploring her and Efi's dynamic and reaction to the Invasion. Bastion has lore in the comics and a short story, Echo also has a short story dedicated to her development, Lucio is featured in a lot of different stories though I do agree that he needs his own story or comic, Zarya has a two comics and ana has several comics, an animated trailer and a short story. The problem is that either they are all featured in content the average fan wouldn't really look into or you have to pay for.

Hell Ana is heavily featured in Declassified and is one of the main characters explored.

Again these characters are focused on they just aren't in a form of media that is typically viewed by the average Overwatch fan. The things fans pay attention to are voice lines and cinematics, cinematics being few and far in between now and voice lines not being taken seriously because they're "not canon enough". I do fully agree that all these characters need their moment to shine in an area where a majority of fans would see. Or at the very least they need to advertise their comics and short stories more.

Imagine getting the actual voice actors to do comic dubs or read out the short stories like an audio book. That would be a great way to get that media out there and put spotlight not just on characters who don't usually receive it but also potential future heroes (give me Lynx-17 Blizzard).

Like you said Blizzard is terrible at managing this type of this. Trust me I am well aware because I focus on posting lore relevant content. Do I focus on Cassidy a lot? YES!! Because he's my favorite character! But I do post about other characters when asked about them or new content comes out for them. I've also said that I think there should be more serious interactions with characters who actually know each other, or at the very least have something interesting to say to each other. Ashe and Cassidy are probably the best example of the Devs doing this right because they have 11 interactions in total, that is including OW1 interactions, because of this we get a clear view on their characters and how they interact. For a lot of the other characters and their relationships I have to go digging. Including with Ashe and Cassidy too, cause even though their dynamic between each other is explored thoroughly, their dynamics with others aren't.

[ceaseless-bitcher]

-TMA Spoilers(?)-

As I re-listen to The Magnus Archives (again), I become increasingly aware of our lack of actual knowledge about how the characters’ relationships develop. We only hear what The Web deemed relevant enough to lure the Fears: interactions directly related to The Fourteen. We hear statements, commentary, encounters, and fights/conversations that specifically develop The Mother’s own plan, as that is what allows her to build her literal web on Hill Top Road.

Even in early seasons, when it isn’t just The Web compelling various people to start recording at points (or turning on the recorders itself), we literally only get post-statement commentary and interruptions. So few give us direct insight into who these characters are beyond their jobs.

It kinda breaks my heart that we don’t get to hear how Jon and Martin slowly grow closer, becoming friends after such a rocky start. We hear Jon’s fights with Tim and Melanie, but the only things we actually get are the breaking points. There are massive gaps in their personal and private lives over the years the story occurs. Jon, Sasha, and Tim were close friends, and yet it takes nearly the entire series to realise that!

We hear Tim make some very interesting remarks in episode 65 (Binary, statement #0170701), in his fight with Jon:

“And the worst thing – the actual worst thing – is that no one here has my back. With any of it! Elias doesn’t care, Martin just wants a tea party, and Sasha – ugh – and you! – you’re treating me like I’m somehow to blame for it all, like I didn’t suffer the worst right alongside you!”

What I find fascinating here is the, “and Sasha- ugh,” as he sounds highly distressed in the recording. We know the two are very close, particularly due to the 2015 Tim-Sasha interaction played in episode 162. They were best friends, so Tim was the most directly affected by the Not!Sasha’s new personality. We can compare the two Sashas to find that the original was far kinder, showing her goofier side almost exclusively to Tim. Right after Tim’s own traumatic experiences with Prentiss in episode 40, his best friend completely changes, refusing to offer him any support. In Episode 78 (The New Cousin, #0011206), Jon can hardly get through a sentence talking about the Not!Sasha. It is so heart-wrenching to know that they experienced that hurt and confusion we never hear in those 7 months (29th Jul, 2016-16th Feb, 2017).

Also, Melanie and Helen were friends??? We never hear Melanie and Georgie’s relationship develop! Listeners are, deliberately, deprived of the soft character-building one has come to expect from media.

I think it’s a fantastic plot device and I completely understand why they did it, but another part of me desperately wants to know the smaller details of their lives. What was the break-room gossip like? What other weird things were kept in Artefact Storage?? How did the rest of the Institute react to the Archives constantly nearly dying??? How often did Elias come down to fuck with them????

What I am arguably most curious about is whether The Mother intended for these recordings to be heard in the universe they enter next. The last word we hear from them come from Basira, after the Panopticon’s collapse:

“If anyone’s listening… Goodbye.

I’m sorry, and… Good luck.”

It implies that the diegetic reason we hear these 200 episodes at all is because our universe was the one the Fears were flung to. If that is the case, then it would make sense that the Web would ensure the next “round” of humans was fully equipped to repeat the actions taken to allow the Fears to escape entropy- the plan is put at much higher risk because the Fears enter at a point where the human population is much greater, with advanced technology and communicational tools that could enable The Watcher’s Crown too fast for favourable conditions for The Web to develop as well.

Maybe the recordings placed into the Hill Top Web weren’t just to attract the Fears, but also to prepare a new humanity to confront them.

[insanitysscribblings]

I mean you'd with the least amount of pressure possible but, would you ever think about writing a book? Every once and a while I remember how it felt reading Back to Us and I just wish I could read a story that was fully yours.

HAAAAAAA.

Friend.

Let me tell you a story about what was my writing journey post 2020 for me.

As some of you might know, I finished a book at the very end of 2020, by the title of Charlatans. It's an adult novel about three voodoo-touched adult siblings who make Faustian bargains to find their long-missing father in exchange for their hearts' deepest desires.

I was super proud of it. My first full-fledged novel, something I had always known I was capable of doing. The hard part was over.

Or so I thought.

See, to be a GOOD novelist, you have to let your work marinate. So that's what I did: I sat on it for a few months, not touching it at all, not even remembering that it existed. After those few months, I set to the hard work of editing.

When I tell you it is SO hard to edit a book you know is missing SOMETHING, but you have no idea what...ugh. And asking for beta readers was tasking, 'cause the thing was over 90K words. I did still ask, of course, but didn't really manage to get a lot of feedback at that time of editing.

Nevertheless! I pressed on. Started researching literary agents, fully aware that with a single project, you only get ONE shot with each agent.

I had a spreadsheet. I had my query letter. I had detailed notes on who to ask for and why. I was ready.

And so I started querying.

...The agents that didn't straight up ignore me gave me automated rejections. The agents that didn't do that gave me personal rejections.

And the one or two agents that actually bothered to ask AND read the whole manuscript?

They loved it!

Just...not enough to publish it.

So. Here I am, with a fully finished manuscript and no one looking to publish it. What do I do?

I put it away and go back to the drawing board, because clearly, I'm missing something. But since no rejection is personalized enough, I don't know WHAT.

Frustration makes me put it down, and I let it sit for a few more months.

Until #DVPIT.

For the uninitiated, #DVPIT is a literary event in which diverse prospective writers and established agents come together to discover new working relationships. The diverse writer has three chances to pitch their project throughout the day to agents, and if agents like your pitch, you may send them your query package. Cool, right?

I take the day off work. I have my pitches queued on my phone, ready to go. Throughout the day, I strategically post them at peak hours, keeping my fingers crossed for even one single agent's attention.

The event runs for an extra week to give agents a chance to read the thousands of pitches flooding the Discord channel. I wait.

No likes. Not a single one.

Now, this part I'm less bitter about, because 150 characters to describe my book? That's just ridiculous. And the comp titles to prove that people would like it? Ugggggh. Not an opportunity to really sell Charlatans.

But this means that, still, my first novel is without an agent. No agent, no publication.

So I put it away again and decide to move on.

And before you ask, yes, I did look into self-publishing. Still lowkey looking, but it's tough, since everything seems like a scam nowadays. And don't even get me started on the AI books being published.

I know you didn't ask for this rant, @hydrogen-ann and for that, I apologize. But TL;DR: a published book is currently a pipe dream for me, though not for lack of trying.

Bitterness aside, thank you so, so much. I'm so happy you'd be interested in something original of mine. If I ever push Charlatans out the door/find the time to write an entirely NEW novel, I'll be sure to let you know 💜

[ninjastarsultimate]

Why is Shadow's character so badly handled in canon modern sonic?

... is what I would say if I didn't overthink his character. Shadow the Hedgehog is oftentimes seen as a controversial character and oftentimes his lack of a defined and concrete representation leaves different canons and ideologies of Shadow the hedgehog through fanon and canon media alike.

Now, did I gather a thesis and do I have an idea of what I am saying? No. Am I an experienced fan of the Sonic the hedgehog fandom of long-term? Also no. But I like to analyze things and look over them and even research them once I get invested. My special interests conclude of majorly taking part of video games for years now.

My past experience with Sonic the hedgehog in prior years is seeing the franchise and characters from an outsiders point of view. Not fully knowing the lore or significance of characters, having the fans ideas and content being my only sources.

And honestly, the fandom is a mess. As are many fandoms. But I'd say the Sonic fanbase is a bit special. In the early years where Shadow The Hedgehog was introduced, he was shown as a character with an appeal to early teens and Angst lovers at young ages and so the fanbase took his character for what was at face value. Dark colors? Emo. Dark. Full of hatred and lack of empathy. Hates sonic. And so on forth.

And this wasn't a joke, as far as I can see, people genuinely received his character like this. Few pointed out that in reality he was more in a grey morality scale. And then, people wanted to see more of him. He died in Sonic adventure 2 as a hero, completing his story arc.

Sega was observing the fanbase. Sega was seeing how people interpreted fans by popularity. I believe they took the fan iteration of Shadow and when they went forward in making Shadow the Hedgehog, they saw the darker and more selfish exaggerated traits in the fanon interpretation of Shadow, so they adapted it. Which of course, led to a very. Very badly written choice story.

Now, Shadow the hedgehog had POTENTIAL

a game bringing back a fan favorite? Amazing. Plot twist even. But erasing all the development and hitting the audience with the SAME idea of a flawed memory? It leads to a sour taste in your mouth of plotholes leaking everywhere.

I'll make a post later focusing more on the game Shadow The hedgehog once I force myself to look more into it to give a better in depth explanation. But for now, I will just take what I know. DO NOT. TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. THIS IS MY OPINION. IF IT WERE NOT CLEAR.

Sega since then after the horrible characterization of Shadow in his own game, doomed the character of Shadow in pursuit. People realized once their fanon idea became canon, it just wasn't fun anymore. It was obvious and the matured audience who grew into the original canon Shadow were given a sore reminder of what everyone thought Shadow was. Future writers of newer games would look to Shadow the Hedgehog in order to write future sonic games including Shadow.

As fans continued being unsatisfied and complaining about his character and being split between Shadow's character in Shadow the Hedgehog versus the Sonic adventure 2 game was a prominent division including other ideas of how Shadow should be, and in all of this, Shadow soon became less and less prominent as a main.

And then. The Sega mandates.

In all truthfulness, I will continue this section in a separate post where I look more into them, but to brief it shortly, as far as I am aware, they put a certain set of guidelines to limit characters and how future writers set the characters as.

In this, they further push into the cold and distant Shadow we know today. Alongside with the aggression.

So. All this said, is his character in capability to revert to a medium? Unfortunately, fans of the original shadow will not be getting any of his older character back as far as I can see, but... there is a way to mix some of it in, meanwhile still maintaining within what sega wants Shadow to be.

Shadow has been presented to keep a calm with him in the second adventure game. Which is a trait that is seemingly erased. Shadow should have his calm attitude again. But show to be very dangerous when provoked. His overdisplayed aggression contradicts his cool demeanor he was presented with. Yes, he can be angry. But there is a difference between struggling with displaying emotions and outwardly reacting impulsively.

Speaking of impulsiveness, Shadow isn't one to be known to be impulsive. He worked with Eggman, found out about Rouge being a spy, and even planned to doublecross them all just to keep a promise he didn't understand.

Remember, Shadow was doing this with little understanding of earth. His only knowledge of earth was G.U.N, who murdered Maria, and Eggman, who was selfish and blew up the moon. Needless to say, his actions were not motivated for geniune evil, but confusion and loyalty.

Another aspect, loyalty. Shadow was endlessly loyal and loved Maria, being as siblings and no doubt regarding to her as a sister. His only family.

Yes, he can be selfish, but he is his only family left. He had yet to learn about other friendships and he had seemingly swore not to get attached to others.

If not outwardly, but implied.

Shadow does have friends, but perhaps he denies them as his fears of losing them are what he sees as a personal weakness.

Modern Shadow could have a sadness with him, not an anger. But a listlessness. A troubled mixture of emotions suppressed and swirling inside. His bursts of anger could be moments where there is a peak inside the fact he still hasn't gotten over Maria.

She was such a strong role in his backstory that an erasure of that could be considered capital sin.

His selfishness could be only a light affect of him being told his entire life he was The ultimate lifeform. But for what purpose?

He could see it as a formality, and in so he follows by acting the role he is given. His ego complex being more by habit and not being self-centered. As he has shown many times to care about others subtly (or not so subtly).

Again, I want to point out progression in the sense of a reversion to be able to justify his out of place behavior, and slowly connect it back. And Merge it.

Modern Shadow is confused. And no one has talked to him as if yet to help him. And he is stuck. If he gets a game or role now, he is most likely going to be the standard angry Shadow with no further explanation.

But in the other hand, if he were just to come back to normal, there is no smooth line between with no satisfaction.

What I like about frontiers are the subtle references stitching games together. Establishing a concrete lore long time needed.

Im going to conclude this rant soon, by lastly going over Shadow and sonic's rivalry briefly, as I will make a post about that as well.

In my next post I will actually go over Sonic's character himself, and how I believe it contributes to how others around him are portrayed and shown as.

In short, I might add more when given the chance to, but thank you for reading this little drabble. And please do reblog with your ideas and comments.

[saaraofthesand]

My Thoughts on The Sun and The Star.

I’ve organized my thoughts into some lists. Enjoy.

I polled my followers and they said they wanted this so you can’t get mad at me.

I must first emphasize that at 20 years old, I’m hardly this book’s target audience. I am fully aware of that.

Second, this book is fine. It’s not bad, it’s not insulting to queer people, but it’s also not the most interesting work of fiction I’ve ever read.

Third, I never finished the Trials of Apollo. I don’t think it hugely affected my reading experience with this one as I’d read all 10 of the other books and could use context clues for anything I didn’t know about. But I thought I should mention it.

Fourth, a lot of my problems with this book have also been present in all of Rick Riordan’s books post-pjo. So, these aren’t new.

Fifth, I went into this book with basically zero expectations. I’m not active in the pjo fandom (this is an anime blog), so I wasn’t seeing the book hyped up or anything. Before this, I’d basically only talked about it with my family and friends. I also don’t really read pjo fanfics. I have because I’ve gotten curious before, but I haven’t read enough to know about general fanon interpretations of characters.

Okay,

Nico has been my favorite PJO character since I was a kid (yes I grew up gay with abandonment issues shut up), so I was excited for this book.

The queerness is well done. There isn’t any “othering” of Nico, Will, or their relationship due to their queerness.

We got Italian! Nico moments, which I’ve been wanting more of since forever, so I’m happy about that. They did an okay job rounding out Will’s character. And Nico and Will’s relationship got a lot of good exposition (even if I felt that they were unrealistically mature about it). Nico’s experiences with homophobia felt very real.

Okay, now on to my critics:

Without a doubt my biggest criticism of this book is that it is very clearly fanservice. It doesn’t exist because it has a story to tell. It exists because fans wanted more Nico and Will content.

I didn’t like that the book was written from third person. I had this same critic of the Heroes of Olympus books. Rick Riordan’s strength has always been first person POVs, starting with the original PJO series. I feel like the funny chapter names, the breaking of the fourth wall, the sidebars, etc. are the reason that Rick’s prose stands out. A first person perspective is the reason the books are as funny as they are. And this book lacked that spark.

The choice to write from third person is part of what contributes to the fanfiction-esque writing style of this book. As someone who both reads and writes fanfiction, I can tell you that almost all fanfics are written from third person. This is because, for the most part, the characters you’re writing are not your own. First person is way too intimate a POV for that type of writing, and it’s why most fanfic authors don’t use it. That’s what I feel like is happening here. Oshiro is writing characters that aren’t theirs, and that means they can’t bring the intimacy of a first person POV or even a more intimate third person POV.

The book is also very on the nose with its themes and ideas. Generally, this is fine in this type of literature. This is a piece of middle-grade fiction. The target audience is middle schoolers. But also, middle schoolers can pick up on subtext. They’re young, not illiterate. There was far too much telling when they were already showing.

A good example is the title of the book. It’s very clear that “The Sun” is Will and “The Star” is Nico. I assumed that before I even opened the book. That imagery is incredibly obvious, so the authors don’t need to state it in the text. But… they do. Bob refers to Will and Nico as “My sun and star.” It was one of the moments in the book that really made me cringe.

The book has major pacing issues and is too long. I felt like it was going on forever. There were full scenes and segments that I think could’ve been cut without affecting the plot.

This book really put on display that even though Will and Nico work as boyfriends, they don’t work as partners. This contrasts Percy and Annabeth, who do work really well together since they were partners first. But Nico and Will are so bad at working together that their quest dynamic isn’t fun.

Generally, I don’t love the characterization in this book.

Nico and Will are supposed to be on this dark, dangerous quest. One so horrible no one would ever want to undertake it. It’s the House of Hades (Nyx’s Version). Except it really isn’t. It felt like they wanted to make it more psychological than the previous books, but they also weren’t totally willing to commit to everything that would entail.

Despite all the fluff in the book, it takes itself just a little too seriously. Nico and Will are 15-16. I feel like they could have had more fun with it while still tackling darker themes. Again, I know Riordan is capable of this because *gestures at the original PJO books*

Nico and Will have this weirdly mature outlook on their relationship that doesn’t fit their ages.

We don’t get PJO-esque jokes until 80% of the way through the book (yes, I kept track). There’s the “Travel Brochure” joke and the “Saturday Sundae” joke during the Nyx confrontation. Both of which invoked the feeling of reading the original Percy Jackson books. I got really excited.

Immediately after those jokes this became one of the cringiest books I’ve ever read. And I do not care to elaborate on that because I’m just happy that the book is over at this point.

Lastly, I wasn’t sure where to put this, but I read it, so now, you have to too. “‘Will, he said it has to be both of us,’ said Nico. Will hesitated at first, but an epiphany dawned in him, and his eyes went wide. ‘Together,’ he said.” After reading this, I immediately recoiled in disgust and went “UGH!” And there are multiple lines like this in the book. Absolutely horrible -7563/10. Rick, never allow another sentence like that into one of your books again. This isn’t YA. You can’t be throwing lines like that at me out of nowhere.

In conclusion:

I’ve seen people saying the criticisms of this book are the result of homophobia and… y’all no they aren’t. Most of the people I’ve seen criticizing the book are queer, including me! I’m tired of this idea that queer people just have to appreciate whatever representation they’re given without having any criticisms about it because at least it’s something. No! If Nico and Will were a straight couple, I’d still have the exact same critics of this book. I’m gay and it’s my godgiven right to dislike books that focus on gay people if the stories aren’t good.

Something that I do think is sad here is that Oshiro’s name is now on this substandard book forever. They’re a new author, and they don’t deserve that. Rick Riordan will be fine if this book isn’t received well, but Oshiro is less likely to be. That upsets me deeply as a queer writer myself. That sucks. I hate that. Go check out their books instead of this one tbh.

[forcedhesitation]

After my last post I decided to sit down and rank all the possible companion pairs. here is the tierlist, should you wish to fill it out yourself.

This is a "ship" chart, but it's important to clarify that I am interested in how the dynamic works overall, not just romantically. I am very invested in how the stories of different characters overlap, and how they could mesh together to change both people involved. so the more interesting I find an individual character, the more likely they are to be higher in the chart.

How interesting I find characters also usually translates to my desire (or lack thereof) to draw them. So my likeliness to draw a pairing is the scale I used to describe each tier, rather than a nebulous "S," "B", or "F." This way, I feel it is better understood exactly why each pair is placed where it is.

Once again, sorry to those who enjoy miss SH. I do not hate her, I just do not find her to be an especially compelling character. I like the voice acting for her, but I don't care for her design, and I feel any element of her story is simply better explored in those of other characters.

*Special Exception 1: I have to split this pair off specifically, because I've thoroughly disparaged it in the past, based on erroneous judgments of halsin's character. when I first played the game, I locked myself out of a lot of Act 2 dialogue with him, which meant I missed the parts of his character that I do find interesting. I will say, it does still deeply bother me how much of his character revolves around sating the sexual desire players might have for him. I also hate that, as far as I'm aware, he can only acknowledge the player's relationship with astarion in the context of having sex. But after spending an entire campaign playing the game correctly, trying to learn as much about halsin as I could, and thus romancing him, so that I could properly judge him, I have grown attached to my rewritten version of him. so I'm not so much fond of the star/halsin pair as it is in game, as I am of that dynamic in the context of corydalis' campaign.

*Special Exception 2: after what happened with halsin, I feel it would be unfair to judge how interesting I might find minthara's relationship with most of the other companions, given that I've not yet had the opportunity to recruit her. despite this, I can safely say that I have no interest in whatever would likely play out between her any of the men, bar gale. gale is the exception because I've seen snippets of dialogue between them. I do not necessarily think they'd work together romantically, but again, it's more that the potential dynamic between them is interesting to me, regardless of the type of relationship they have. also, I do not categorise all other minthy x male companion pairs as bad because I am of the belief that she is not bisexual. I have faith that this game would make an effort to show us that she was a different identity, were she, because it already does a great job of affirming every other companion's bisexuality outside their potential relationship to the player. what I do not have faith in, however, is that minthy has as beautifully written a story as lae'zel does, where she learns to abandon the cruel and bigoted beliefs her society indoctrinated her to have. not when origin companions like wyll & karlach still lack material, and not when halsin's writing is as inconsistent as it is. I do not think that either halsin or minthy have, or will ever have, fully fleshed out narratives.

if you've interesting commentary about a particular pairing that you like, that you feel I might benefit from reading, do feel free to share it! even if I dislike a pairing, I am usually willing to read someone's thoughts about why they do find it interesting, granted it's not like...something utterly foul. I just ask you keep any commentary you choose to share to companion/companion pairs or companion/companion pairs in the context of polyamory with a tav/durge. NPC romance is another conversation.

[theallsngeye]

on the artist & the world:

(excerpts from an interview for a peer’s essay)

To truly & fully speak on my experience and values as an artist, I feel like I have to give some preface to who I am as one.

*i am both a musical & visual artist, so although this is predominantly in the context of visual art; my philosophy and terms of origin still remains for the former*

I am a self taught abstract artist. I have no former training, no classes, no college. I have no knowledge of color theory or the inter workings of mediums or materials. I feel as blank as the canvas most times.

But I say all this to say that I feel like due to my lack of knowledge and understanding of art, I tend to view it all more spiritually. In a broader sense, I see creativity as being something completely beyond us.

I am merely but a vessel for the ever flowing presence of creativity.

But I mean in todays world, does ANY of that shit matter if it doesn’t have capital gain?

Apparently not.

Every artist is faced with having to equate a value to their work. Work that shouldn’t be measured in any sense. Art that should just exist. As should the artist.

So to combat a world of social media, brand building, content creation; NOT to mention imposter syndrome, financial stability, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, systemic oppression and on and on…

I propose the true artist should practice in something I call: creative abandon. (yes, i believe there is a distinction between artists and their intentions and ethics but that’s a conversation for another time)

sounds super dramatic, but it’s simple I promise.

The world is over saturated at the fact that it’s at our fingertips. I believe that’s just the universes call to embrace humanity. Reach within and not out.

What do we love besides what the world and the internet tells us to? Go find the shit that resonates with YOU the most. Do what YOU want to do and simply don’t give a fuck about what everybody says or does.

Abandon the world. Fall into self. Know your Soul. Embrace Creativity. Be You.

Be willing to learn and adapt because you are just a human trying to live and create, and you didn’t ask to be in this ever changing ass world. But all we can do is be water and find our peace in the wind.

And yes, as much as I hate it too, I guess I have to post my art on social media, even if it only gets like 10 likes lol.

I don’t know if it’s my hubris or my confidence but any piece of work I do, I feel like it can change the world or at least garner some sort of love and praise. Confidence is healthy right?

And if I feel like that, I’m sure that there’s artists that share that feeling and experience. I post something I put my heart into on the internet and the reciprocation is short to nothing.

So I started managing my expectations and perspective. Social media brought forth comparison in an ungodly amount. I stopped reaching out and reaching in.

I’m aware that my world is just as valid as the world going on around me. My ecosystem, my little corner of the internet and the world is enough. If the world beyond me one day gets to love and see my work, that would be lovely. But for my own mental health sake, I had to learn how to remind myself that MY WORLD, no matter how small or large, is enough.

I don’t think you get through all this without an extreme unconditional unending love for your art.

…

To Summarize:

- The key to life is your will to learn.

- Be like water and the wind.

- Manage your expectations, but fuck that. I personally practice NO EXPECTATIONS but to each his own.

- Your world and art are just as valid & significant as the the same artist who has a million followers.

- Really love this shit. Please show that you care. Love the art.

and please, remember you’re human.

[moontheoretist]

Damn, what I would do for more content.

You know what? I love Dragon Age games, but they are not without flaws. Some are more glaring than others, but the flaw I want to talk about today is... lack of background specific content. Ok, Bioware doesn’t want to invest time into origins anymore. Fine. I think it is a stupid choice, as origins are like sessions 0 in DnD, where you can playthrough your own background instead of come to session 1 with the fully written out character. And even then Origins were not exactly the same. Some facts were already pre-established, but it was fun to have them, to spend some time IN the place you come from, in order to immerse yourself in the character. I cannot stress how interesting it would be to actually see invasion of Lothering from Hawke’s perspective at the end of a very normal, very peaceful day, instead of skipping it and go straight to running away. Or how nice it would be to actually be part of Lavellan clan and see how much similar and different it was from the Dalish clan we could start in DAO. Or how Tal Vashoth’s mercenary life or Carta’s life looked before they headed to the Conclave. Speaking about Tal Vashoth, they are actually what sprung this post to be, as I just sat today and randomly thought “How nice it would be if Adaar and Bull could ACTUALLY discuss living outside the Qun after his character quest”. The game gives all the main characters some opportunities to say something about themselves, but most of those things are quickly shot down by companions, who literally in some cases tell you your own customs as if they knew better. Those opportunities that we were given, never felt good enough to me. They felt small, as if the game wanted us to forget that avatars are distinct characters in their own right and overwrite it with the Herold of Andraste. Small dialogues here and there, some hidden special options... to some it is enough. To me, it feels cheap. My Adaar, Lavellan, Trevelyan and Cadash could have SO MANY interesting conversations with companions, best if all were turned into cutscenes specifically about that one topic we were discussing, instead of always being just an afterthought, some addition to the other topic, more important topic, that we were discussing. Solas has probably the most conversations in which we can talk with him about the Dalish, but it is because he is an elven god, born in times long past. Most other companions are not given the same luxury to discuss topics of identity, beliefs and culture with us beyond some random conversations here and there in which, like I already said, we are never allowed to actively tell the companions that they are wrong about the customs they just told us about to our face.

If you ever were angry that you couldn’t just start a discussion with Dorian about Alienages and Tevinter Slavery, to draw similarities and differences, to talk about what the status of elves is derived from (human hatred and bias), or if you wanted to sit with Bull as Adaar and comfort him about not being part of the Qun, and tell him everything you know about how Tal Vashoth live, their life philosophy, where and how they find fulfillment without the shackles of the Qun, you will understand what I am talking about. I am aware there is content. I just think there should be more of it, that it should be treated as important too, to make players more willing to replay the game and try to play as every avatar they can, beyond some small hidden dialogue options. I want to be able to correct companions when they’re wrong, just like an elven Warden could with Leliana for example. I want more, and more meaningful conversations with companions. I want us to discuss topics, relate to one another. I want Carta Cadash to talk with Varric and reminisce about stuff they share, and argue or debate about stuff that make them different. I want to be able to tell Cassandra as Trevelyan that no, mages are not whining and asking for more than they deserve. I want to scold her for treating people who were prisoners all their lives as if they were a bunch of whiny brats who are unhappy that they do not have satin linens on their beds, instead of a group of people who actively feared they will be murdered in their sleep by Templars at Haven. Give me those disapprovals Cassandra, I don’t care! You need to hear that mages are not willingly standing in the fire. That being born in the fire is different from consciously stepping into it and staying there and complaining it is hot. I want to be able to talk to all the Chargers, beyond Krem. I want to be able to chat with Dalish about dalish clan differences and similarities, and what they discovered and where they went last with their clans as Lavellan. I want Adaar to compete with Chargers about which group of mercenaries was better, the Chargers or the group that Adaar originally belonged to. I want them to have a drinking match, screaming who defeated more opponents or survived more deadly encounters! Yeah, I know I want a lot. But it is just the world building that I feel is lacking. The connections forged in camaraderie, arguments and debates. I don’t understand players who skip dialogues, or whine about “cutscenes / story arcs being too much talk, not enough action”. I am sorry that the dialogues that are the foundation of RPGs and writing, are standing in the way of some mindless slaughter, dudebro. Maybe they should have picked a different game then, if RP in RPG is bothering them so much.