I guess what you're saying here is like the saying that there is no magic to the magician? But you know, I'm actually gonna say that I think that's sad anyways. Maybe you know how it's done, but isn't there a lot of value and wonder in there always being a factor of unknowns (like in why chemical reactions work in the first place), or a degree of intrinsic motivation? 
By the way I say this as a lazy procrastinator, so I have no moral high ground here. (But if you wanted me to keep arguing, then I'd say that my procrastination comes out of perfectionism, so technically I put things off because I like them so much.) I know there are a lot of factors, like how you can't just say "why do you hate your job" to someone when clearly they might not have much of a choice in a lot of different areas. But as someone who can be unbearably pessimistic, isn't it just a lot more beneficial to find value in what you're doing rather than try to speed through things that suck, but don't suck that much? 
It's especially tragic (strong word used for the funnies btw) seeing as I was talking about students rather than chemists/professors/etc. And for that matter, even though my chemistry professor is scary, I can tell he loves the subject in his own way. 
Also adding that I am sucking at chemistry problems rn so I also have no skill-related technical high ground. I'm bad at it too lol. You guys should (not) see me in class. Idiocy 100, without exaggeration. 

Anyways, since I sound (and am) deadpan online a lot of the time, lemme instill the image of Galaxian going starry eyed when their lil beaker of solution turns hecking black. Do I sound fun yet? (My prof was across the counter when I reacted and he kinda just stared, and then I nearly started laughing excessively. It's still so funny to me. He was like "I'm glad I guess, but why.") 

Oh yeah, and adding as a question if anyone wants to answer: How do you guys regard technology?
For me the possibility of me getting phased out of future generations' technology is constantly in my mind, so that factors into how I view stuff like phones and computers. Like sure I can use them, maybe very well, but in the end I have very little idea how anything works. So it's pretty much magic to me too. Explainable magic...but still. As I've maybe implied, even if I know how a magic trick is done and can replicate it myself, it still is extremely striking to me. I might get tired of doing it, for sure, but there'll always be a sense of wonder in it for me. So I'm curious how you guys think about it, if you do at all. 

Time wrote:

Philosophy class sounds fun. I considered adding it to my classes this and last quarter, but it usually fills up fast... plus idk if I want to make philosophy something in my academic life. I was thinking of checking out the philosophy club at my college sometime soon to see what they have. Or maybe just reading on my own for a bit and then checking out the club.

Haha, for me it's part of a course area requirement of sorts, and I thought I'd use the opportunity to waste money on something I'm already interested in. (Financial guilt is very real, I am learning)
Technically speaking I was kinda worried how much value it has in the long run, but apparently it's considered valuable for premed, and there are a lot of doctorate degrees in philosophy that are handed out? I'm not sure how I stand in terms of research (and teaching would be the bane of my existence, I'm pretty sure), but all in all I like the subject from my current standpoint and thought looking into it more formally would be valuable to me. (And so far it is; it also offers me a break from my four other courses, which are all in the sciences :-P [lowkey help].)
I'm kinda weird when it comes to "schools of thought" because I don't like the idea of labels too much (says the one who constantly jokes about INFJ things), but let me know if there's stuff I can introduce you to, like schools of thought, philosophers, and readings! And always feel free to introduce a prompt to me. I'm not very firm on most of my opinions but I hecking love talking. 

-Galaxian-

Shoutout to Mohuang Da Guanjia at doing its old men characters the best both artistically and character-wise lolol

I actually really like the direction they went with the old general. I mean, it's obviously to kill him off so the main character doesn't have to face an army of 100,000 people, but they went for the character/thematic exploration route while doing so and I can admire that.
The emperor done screwed up tho imo. Yes, practically it's because Zuo Fan needs more plot devices, but ahaha dang.

Revisiting Changgong's scene and yeah he's awkward
He really led his horse out to receive a gift. Again. Lol.
Though I think it's interesting that opposed to Gawain, who underthinks stuff, Changgong overthinks stuff (their thoughts on makeup/masking one's natural face are pretty much opposites)
I also think his Valentine's scene supports my headcanon on his age, which is 19 years old (when he was crowned prince). That means that he acts like how he thinks a noble should act. Ik Servants are weird in terms of age but it just seems like he'd be the sort of person to fuss over what it means to act dignified, even if he has memories of how he acted for that goal prior. 
I'm also trying to confirm his pronouns. Does he go by "watashi" rather than "boku"? I'm not too sure what that implies but I remember reading that guys in Japan tend to use "boku" since it's more masculine. 

Btw I got Tsuna's scene first from a random chocolate and let's just say my claim about my Saber-class Servants is kinda just holding up.
Getting Mori's scene now. Emotional whiplash moment.

-Galaxian-

Does Bartholomew simp for Mori

-Galaxian-

Watching Jiang Ziya instead of doing work or, y'know, reading Investiture of the Gods.

I saw the Ladder to Heaven as "the ladder Alone took up to the sky in LC but wannabe" and now I can't take anything seriously.
My brain is so dead.

-Galaxian-

Starting to realise that maybe Chinese media is having an issue with doing dirty jokes that don't hit the mark
Not that they hit the mark for me ever but. You get what I mean.

-Galaxian-

This film better pick it up or else I'm rewriting the story in my head. Again

-Galaxian-

I'm gonna go burn the heavens the heck up, brb.

-Galaxian-

Trying to decide if a dude is gay or not
Priorities fr

-Galaxian-

"Please Entrust Your Faith to a Dream" (Zhou Shen)
周深 -《请笃信一个梦》
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4RQMFRVKK8
[(Child's voice:]
我们在途中匆匆挥手并不说告别
Standing on this path, we wave farewell without saying goodbye
只因深知总会在轮回里再次相见
Because we know in our hearts we will reunite in some other time and place
到那天穿过陌生人海在闹市中擦肩
Running towards the day where our shoulders touched in that boisterous, strangers-filled marketplace,
平凡的梦啊终会被成全
Know that even the most ordinary dream will one day come to fruition

幸好你从未因疲惫选择停留
Thankfully you have never stopped in place due to fatigue,
有熟稔的呼唤声引你向前走
Because there is always a familiar voice beckoning you to walk forward.
正是懵懂的眼眸才将世事看通透
It is precisely a gaze filled with ignorance that can see through all worldly affairs,
内心始终笃信爱与温柔
A heart that entrusts its faith in a gentle love even in the end.

但愿这漫天时起时落的星斗
May the stars continue to rise and fall in this heavenly sky,
曾照拂过的人们都能被庇佑
So that it continues protecting all the people who have been illuminated by starlight
在颠沛之中漂流于不经意的时候
Even as a destitute vagrant wandering without a goal,
你会与你的梦悄然邂逅
You will surely encounter your dream in the unlikeliest of places

你一路迎向那被黄昏染红的天边
All this time you approach the horizon stained red by dusk,
怀揣着来世的梦走向今生的终结
Carrying your dreams of the next life towards the conclusion
就这样渐行渐远直到再也看不真切
Just like this, as reality becomes further away as if it never were,
未尽的执念都留在这人间
Many unfulfilled wishes remain in this world

无需一再去追问从前或以后
There is no need to chase after a "before" or an "after",
能在时空中相逢就已然足够
Since a single meeting within time and space is more than enough 
不顾一切去握紧那双向你伸的手
Thinking about nothing else as you tightly clasp those hands reaching toward you,
一刻安谧便是天长地久
Surely this instant of peace is its own kind of eternity

你一路迎向那被黄昏染红的天边
All this time you approach the horizon stained red by dusk,
怀揣着来世的梦走向今生的终结
Carrying the dreams of the next life towards the conclusion
最后微笑着回身遥遥朝那人望一眼
Now with a final smile you look back at that person,
终于开始学会眷恋这人间
Finally starting to learn what it means to cherish this world.

[Child's voice:]
我们在途中匆匆挥手并不说告别
After this tumultuous journey, we wave farewell without saying goodbye
只因深知总会在轮回里再次相见
Because we know in our hearts we will see each other again in some other time and place

最后微笑着回身遥遥朝那人望一眼
With a final smile you look back at that person,
终于开始学会眷恋这人间
Finally starting to learn what it means to cherish this world.
终于开始学会眷恋这人间
Finally starting to learn what it means to cherish this world
终于开始学会眷恋这人间
...Finally starting to learn what it means...

-Galaxian-

Galaxian watches a movie despite being completely dead, then does 2 song translations, and is about to gush about random stuff instead of going to bed. Their common sense is not intact, no.

GalaxianExplosion wrote:

不知人间寒冷
Without knowing of the frigid frost of the human world,
玉阙无冬亦无春
The jade emperor's palace has neither winter nor spring.

I think I could probably die over these two lines, holy heck. 

Alright, time for review! I might go in chronological order since then it's easier for me to recall stuff. The songs are honestly bigger spoilers but lol.

The animation at the start reviewing the original battle between Jiang Ziya/his army and the Nine-Tailed Fox? Mwah, perfection. I loved the fluid style of animation they used. It feels very primordial (in a Chinese way), and the art style was perfect too. It felt like cavemen's drawings but more sophisticated and come to life, if that makes any sense. It probably doesn't, but that's just my instinctive evaluation of it.

I like the design choice for the heavens. It's very glowy. I also like how they portrayed the disciples in the execution of the Nine-Tailed Fox. The general atmosphere felt very human and off-putting, in contrast to the holy lighting. It was very coercive and set a strong stage for Jiang Ziya as a character, where he's subservient to the ideals of the heavens and his master (referred to as "the Tianzun," but whose full name in mythology is Yuanshi Tianzun) but clearly has that budding potential to go against its will. In general the film conveys his kindness in what I think is a very well-rounded way, where he's nice but has his moments of being influenced by others as well as hesitation and anger. It's a central theme after all. (more on that later)

Now uh, for the rest of the beginning. You might have garnered this from my live reaction, but. The beginning strongly encapsulates the problem of, "And then things happen!" which can be prevalent throughout the film, more strongly in some places than others. And I get it from a production standpoint that the beginning is probably somewhere in the middle where the team is rushing to get things done so they can finish on time and focus on more important parts, but yeah. Not very satisfactory. 

My biggest criticism: Building the start of Jiang Ziya and Xiaojiu's relationship. They're the protagonists for heaven's sake (irony and pun intended). I know the movie has limited runtime, but I can get by with less "dark iffy bar" development with the weird characters who have no importance in the long run. (They have potential to show some themes to be sure, like the aftermath of the war, but that ultimately goes unexplored too due to the same issue [time constraints], and imo I think the team should have focused on the main group/duo from the beginning and seen that time limitation, since it feels like they rushed the main pair's meeting and relationship development for some nobodies, y'know? It just doesn't make sense from a writing standpoint.) This was also the point where I commented on the weird jokes not hitting. I'd rather there be limited humour or even almost none than jokes that feel forced. I'm here for a rather serious movie on a man who saved "the world" (the tianxia, in Chinese terms) and then got refused immortality because of his kindness towards an innocent soul. Plus the man himself has depression. Pleaseee. 

The group dynamic basically needed a better padding. I know the point of it is that they have an extremely limited time together and realistically it's hard for them to get too close...so maybe the start should, idk, be a bit less rough. I feel like if characters have a lot of strife between them or are really jerkwads towards each other, that's when they have the runtime and therefore liberty to work on that. But for Jiang Ziya, it felt like it'd take a loooong time for the group to get along. And then a few padding ("defining") moments came along and they, uh, they got along!

Notes on their dynamic that I think could have gotten more focus:
-Xiaojiu being a wanderer with no place to belong (which was solidified already) versus Jiang Ziya being used to being confined in different areas in service to the greater world, like his role, the place he was banished to. So maybe Xiaojiu could do more of the leading, even though it's aimless and the map is in Jiang Ziya's hands. 
-I love the fox-like mannerisms that Sibu Xiang and Xiaojiu's interactions brought out in her, but there should probably be less verbal abuse. The food-stealing was probably a lil overdone too. It fits with Xiaojiu's characterisation of having no one to teach her stuff (so she picks up mean words and is rough with animals), but it felt a bit too mean on both sides, so that even when Sibu Xiang was risking their life to protect her in the most dangerous situations I was thinking about food-stealing and tail yanking. Not ideal. 
-Crucial moments. I understand these are bound to happen and will probably feel forced, but it feels like the execution was weird? Hopefully I can elaborate on this more later, because rn I'm transitioning into something else.


Scenes! Aesthetics! Camera work! Beautiful, not a single criticism on my end. As I was watching, I realised this movie reminds me of Sky: Children of the Light. So that was nice to think about as I went along. The Chinese specialise in stunning visual work. Even in films with crappy acting you can bet you'll see great scenery. That being said, I dunno much about camera work. But the aesthetics are beautiful. I think a lot of scenes could be desktop photos. 

Speaking of aesthetics, I enjoy that this movie didn't make things look pretty just for the sake of it. It felt like it went along with the plot very nicely. Particularly of note is the blue-red contrast that appears between Jiang Ziya and Daji. It very much signifies the contrast and conflict that he feels about the fox spirit and everything related to the war he fought, and every time I see it come up I feel really fulfilled. So I suppose you could call it like a cue of some sort, maybe even a motif.

...but on the actual motifs. Unfortunately, this is what I feel is another weakness.
The movie had a bad habit of bringing out symbols when they weren't needed. To start off, it shoved the strings of remembrance down the audience's throats. The symbol was part of a crucial moment between Jiang Ziya and Xiaojiu while they were talking about family and memories, and obviously it was going to be referenced in the ending, so that's fine, I'm not gonna dump too much shade on it. But then came the heavenly bird who definitely had a purpose (representing the good side of heaven that protects the people) but felt like it spoiled moments more than it enunciated it. Same goes with other living beings, like this one butterfly that almost ruined a moment that was already nicely built up by the colouring and animation of the scenery and background light. 

If you had to ask me what the problem I have with the bird, then I probably wouldn't be able to give too solid of an answer, but here are some points:
-Appeared too early. It appears with someone's conviction, and suddenly when Xiaojiu says she wants to go home it appears? As encouragement??
-Stayed too long--it stare. Okay, please fly away, you are a bird.
-Appeared too many times--if it's a rare omen, then why does it appear so much. I know that it hasn't appeared for a while, but...no.
-Its purpose in the first place is weird. I saw Jiang Ziya (and technically, the panther dude) as being the embodiment of the good side of heaven. Which is to say, this film didn't stress that. The good of the heavens is in people it tries to turn and doesn't endorse. So there doesn't need to be a symbol of its "good" in the first place, just let the protagonist fill the role. 


Roles! Let's talk characters. The main characters first of course.
Jiang Ziya. I actually really like the guy. I feel like even though he barely talks and is supposed to be Mr. Nice Guy, as I mentioned, he feels authentic to me. Maybe he doesn't go through the most development, but he's charming, idk. I mentioned it loosely, but I do feel like in certain contexts it is hard to retain one's inherent kindness and act on it, and even though his background isn't given in full detail, it feels like everything he does is in natural progression and makes sense. His abilities aren't the coolest, but I wanted him to be happy and to find his way, and to be successful. Imo he's a good protagonist, even if he's probably very different than in Investiture of the Gods (we shall see). 
I'll slot character design and animation here too. I ironically don't have the most to say on him in this regard, but I think he fits the role of just "some guy...some hermit". His fluffy scarf thing lends to that. He feels homeless. I also like his fishing rod lol, iconic. 

Xiaojiu! I think I can say I love her design, and I can see so many facets of her character in her that weren't able to be developed to the fullest. Especially at the start I feel like they were going for the scruffy orphan from the wastelands route, but then all of a sudden she became more lighthearted and able to tease Jiang Ziya, and simultaneously she's easily angered and frustrated but also prone to emotion? For one I hecking love how all of these factors--her visual and characteristic design--interact with Jiang Ziya, but sometimes it felt a bit all over the place and I wished there'd be more thematic focus on some parts. Her inherent kindness was very focused on, for example, which sounds cliche but oh well, that's a thematic idea of the movie. 
Essentially, I wish they honed in on the more antisocial traits to develop them. Like for instance, the way she's inexperienced with people. People in general, but especially good people. But also at the same time she's prone to trusting them, right? So maybe she trusts Jiang Ziya easily (which is already the case) but finds difficulty communicating with him, or doesn't understand concepts like stealing. 
Design-wise I heard they kept redoing her hairstyle and I think it fits so well, it's very scruffy and unkempt but also enunciates her ears, which is her charm point. The scar and its origin make sense too. And her clothing is more clean and tidy than I'd expect from the wasteland orphan character, but also animating the same splotches of dirt at different angles on tattered cloth must be hecking annoying so that's a free pass there. Plus I guess it reflects her more regal origins.

Side characters on the protagonists' side! For one, panther guy. Poor panther guy. I feel like they leaned into his comical aspect a bit too much to the point where he felt like a caricature...and then when it turned out he fights kinda cool I was like "oh no." Yep. He's the side character who cares about the male protagonist a lot and ends up sacrificing himself. I cared because I saw his loyalty and sense of justice but, man, it'd be hard to call him likeable. 

I'll go off on a slight tangent here and mention another movie I watched (with Zhou Shen also singing the theme song that led me to watching it lol, "Big Fish and Begonia"). It also had the "side character cares for the lead character so much and have been friends with them for very long but the main character mostly ignores them during the progression of the main story until they sacrifice themselves". The issue was bigger for "Big Fish and Begonia" (I got so annoyed), since Jiang Ziya has the depression thing going on and it makes more sense...still though, especially at the start, panther dude was just given the cold shoulder and yikes. The only mitigation is that Jiang Ziya kinda ignores him for his own benefit (Jiang Ziya thinks panther dude still wants to go back to the heavens and doesn't know the other followed him down for his sake), and obviously tries to protect him, but it's still pretty dang rough.

Design-wise, I feel like they make him look a bit too weird. I think the dude could've benefitted from less exasperation and frustration (often exaggerated) and more seriousness. Like maybe lean into the hero idea, and what he saw in Jiang Ziya? Then it'd be pretty funny how Jiang Ziya is just Depressed and has been for the past 10 years, kinda similar to how Gray sees Waver now that I think about it. Yeah. 

Sibuxiang! Mo, mo. Wait, wrong series. I love the weird lil mascot. (Their face shaped weird fr, to the point where if you look at their face they feel more uncanny than cute.) What else needs to be said? They fulfill a single purpose and they do it pretty well, though they should've stolen less pastries from Xiaojiu.

Villains! Oh boy.
-Daji: I mean, I like it, I guess, but not too much. She fills the villainness look well. Plus with the animation style of the recap she felt kinda like Maleficent from Disney and I liked that. 
-The Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit: (*sighs*) I didn't like her design. Her lore was interesting from the bits I could understand, but her personality was just...crazy villainess. Yes, it's interesting that her insanity comes from--summarising her motives btw--the fact she doomed her entire race (all her fox spirit brethren) because she wanted to be a part of something bigger and was betrayed. She literally accidentally chained all of them and herself. But a chains motif isn't used, and most of the time she's just a wild animal running at Jiang Ziya and co. or sprouting crazy lines. Honestly? She feels like a physical threat to Jiang Ziya (who's weakened as divine power go), which I liked...but then her goal ended up being to "This'll show them" the heavens--which btw made sense if not for the fact that she was taking a huge risk that contrasted with how she might've wanted to protect the rest of her species--and then everyone in her tactical missile strategy got nuked by a single flower petal. I like the way she moved--it felt very feral--but she feels like a big fox-shaped clump of blood someone coughed up, and it's not in a good way.
She needed. Better design.

-The King of Shang: What the heck.
That is all. I was actually glad he got dropped off the cliff and never appeared again. "Thank god he doesn't have much thematic relevance" lol. The love he had for Daji was interesting though, I liked those two lines he had and their dichotomy. Also makes me wonder what canonically happened for the fall of Shang.
How did he become a god? I wonder, but also, I don't care.

-(Yuanshi) Tianzun: If evil, why hot (voice)?
Joking. Though his voice does feel bishounen-y for some reason lol. 
I like his design a lot even though it's probably not too special. Maybe I'm not getting an allusion.
I like that he's a villain really more so thematically than anything, like he didn't go out of his way to nuke all surrounding civilisations with that flower petal. But if there was an innocent village under that fox spirit missile then, well, he definitely would've nuked it. He's very inhumane and I think he serves his purpose very well. He's the picture of one of those detached "bigger picture" gods, with his pale and holy colour palette and attitude/actions.
Y'know, he reminds me of Shaka lol. I think. 

Before I start talking about Shaka, I think it's a good place to mention that I like how the animation for characters goes in general, like I think I can appreciate how they went about animating expressions (in a more risk taking sort of way), and in general I think the movements were pretty good. The action sequences had a lot of dashing but that's just Chinese fantasy for you, of course we gotta dash. Dash dash dash to victoryyy.
Music! Voice acting! I liked both. The VAs in particular worked with what they had and I think they did wonderfully. The one complaint I have about the music is I can barely remember any of it because it was too quiet. I mean, I don't mind too much because the voices went over the music and like I said, I liked the voices, but I also like me some iconic music. I'll have to search it up later.

Finally going onto the bigger picture!
I adore the themes of the movie. I think they give me stuff to think about, which is pretty much my criteria lol. What does it mean to be a god? This led me to realise that my view of the gods/a god probably has actual roots set by my predecessors, more than what I've already mentioned on the Chinese being spiritual but not religious for most of history and how the Chinese divinities are kinda just immortal party animals. (me about to get smited again) The family theme is nice too, even if "basic," since it shows we might form valuable connections in the most unexpected of places, corresponding with the idea of yuan that I have mentioned previously.

I think the biggest surprise was how the premise could be seen as pretty dark. Beyond whatever the heck the Tianzun did with the fox species (we love immortals doing human-level politics and war crimes at the heavenly level), there's how someone could interpret the premise of the movie. Xiaojiu literally goes off to reincarnate into a happier life, which contrasts with my ideals ngl, even though I can try to rationalise it. She goes off to die, even if in a portal of light, and that counts as her salvation. For a work discussing ideas related to humanity and the world/three realms...y'know, on an individual level it's pretty hecking bleak.

Speaking of the individual level, I really enjoyed the backstories when they weren't spoonfed to us through exposition. Even if it was cliche, I could see how much stigma and suffering Xiaojiu must have encountered with her fox ears. I loved panther guy's debut in being saved by Jiang Ziya, even though it was a very simple and typical event to happen. The backstories nearer to the end especially felt poignant. It was predictable but still heart-hurting when the "father" Xiaojiu was seeking was just a creepy old man wanting his "wife" back, and it turned out her actual father married her out for money and wouldn't even let her keep her childhood doll with her as she went. And lemme just say, Jiang Ziya passing his younger self who was willing to give everything to become a proper immortal was...I can't put it into words, but it was just such a simple moment that was really impactful to me. It's a very shounen protag moment but Jiang Ziya himself is kinda that sort of character, so why the heck not. 

Let's talk about the climax and ending. I feel like the pacing got a lot better here, and the climax hit the nail in pretty well. I think most people could see Jiang Ziya's rejection of the heavens coming from very far away, but it still felt meaningful. (Eternal gratitude for the heavens only having one set of stairs that they apparently can't repair or rebuild. :-P) For the ending, the reincarnation cycle coming around made sense, though I'd probably criticise how it's just mentioned that the Tianzun was punished by his Master (who just stood around doing nothing for the entirety of the film...which is accurate as Chinese divinities go but feels like it takes away from Jiang Ziya's feats, y'know?). Also I just feel so sad that Jiang Ziya went to imprison himself, like noooo you did no wrong man, come baaack. (I feel like I wanted him and the reincarnated selves to walk towards each other or smthn, I don't care if it's cliche just gimmeee.)  

To end on a good note, I actually love how he turned older too, more alike his mythological counterpart. Since it goes along with the idea that he became a true god only at this point. Uncanonical in myths, but very significant imo. It was sad seeing his hair turn white (a cultural thing especially, maybe?), but I felt proud that even though it felt like he was withering, he was actually at the peak of his life and finally being able to make his own choices once and for all. The heroic sacrifice that worked, if you will.
Anyways, at least in the blooper he can make intricate food. (Dude came out of depression and immediately entered his OCD phase.)

I hecking love Chinese theme songs, and these two are no exception. I tried to translate them so they match up, and as usual I made some changes, but hopefully they aren't too shabby.
I think songs like these are extraordinary because they encapsulate the story, but I also feel like more stories need to match up with the songs too, so that the songs become more meaningful. For these two, it feels like the songs are conveying the story and its themes better, but at least it's not a big problem.
Overall? I liked the movie more than Big Fish and Begonia. I loved the visuals and think I could probably get some lessons out of the movie if I studied frames or something, I think that's where a lot of the hard work is apparent. It's just some parts of the beginning that are shabbier. Uhh, I don't do number ratings, but I liked it well enough, and hopefully I can think about it while doing work and stuff, instead of it utterly dominating my head. Yeah?

Apparently panther dude's name is Shen Gongbao and he's in Investiture of the Gods. What.

Not a single canon screenshot to be found


Apparently there's a movie on him coming this year so he's gotta be popular lol. 
Anyways fanart time.








I'm kinda obsessed with how aesthetic his design is lol it lends to all the fanart being aesthetic too

-Galaxian-

Finally logged back into Arcaea (got baited back by some theme songs) and now I have to re-unlock songs
It's fine since my skills are nonexistent rusty
I got to unlocking Wiley and Rai's theme songs and I saw that I had to pass Wiley's before Rai's, which in turn unlocked the notion of Wiley hosting a boss fight you have to get through before you can get through to Rai. It's funny because considering the type of person he is you wouldn't think he'd block the way for anyone, but it turns out the notion is accurate so lol.
Yay, local friendship trivia. (The Triad has an incredibly weird dynamic when it comes to friendship)
Anyways, I was thinking about it in a general sense, but now that I think about it, the premise reminds me of the 12 Temples in Saint Seiya. That evokes the image of Wiley saying something like "I can't let you go on, there's a technology-addicted idiot 7 Temples from here who used his favour tokens on me having to keep y'all away from him" while looking disqualified as heck to say such a thing

-Galaxian-

GalaxianExplosion wrote:

Why did they make Nezha's Ao Bing so pretty lol

yes it's probably to contrast him with Nezha but also I see the marketing strategy lol

I also found this fanart from the general lore (I believe) (regardless, it's so cute)


-Galaxian-

 
Pretty man owo

Mythology addition: There are two versions of the myth
One is Nezha and the prince (might've been Ao Bing, might've not) were playing and Nezha forgot how strong he is and did an oopsie
Two is the prince was sent by his father, Ao Guang, one of the Dragon Kings (who wants child sacrifices), to go after Nezha. Same outcome though. Death

-Galaxian-