This book summarizes my life lessons and experiences during quarantine. It has no intention to provoke or offend anyone. I salute the medical frontliners and I am praying for the fast recovery of the ones that are afflicted with this disease.

• Original Story • The 21st century writer and botanist, Yan Zi, transmigrated into her own novel as the notorious villainess.

She realizes that the plot of her story is changing; after all, she meets an unfamiliar yet attractive Co-Commander of the imperial military guards?! 

To survive the story, she has to derive a plan. The questions remains, what will she do to redeem herself? 

Is it to indulge in biological case studies? To unravel secrets behind the imperial palace? To fall in love with the Co-Commander? 

Little did Yan Zi knows, she will discover a little love inside of herself that devours self-hatred in this exhilarating adventure.

This is not just the tale of a villainess. It is also a tale of redemption, humor, kinship, mystery, and romance.

Start: April 14th-?

[Completed] Was it all just a dream?

She, the writer and botanist, transmigrated into her own novel as the notorious villainess. 

He, the Co-Commander of the Imperial Military Guards, is attracted to her bold and conscientious nature during dangerous missions.

Destined to have no happy ending, Yan Zi refuses to develop a feeling of attachment and closeness. But somehow after escaping an unexpected intruder attack, watching the stars under the waxing moon, and undergoing a sweet and sweaty night together, things start to shift.

Start: April 14th, 2020
End: July 25th, 2020

There's a cat with a broken mind and a kind heart, who still has plenty of love to give. What happens if this fragile yet caring soul is suddenly trapped in a killing game with several teenagers, who each have their own issues? 

Notice: This is a narrative anthology, a series of narrative poems that make up one big story.

First Person narrative of a guy who does not know about the story of the world he is going through.

Don't own One Piece or Naruto

ERWEN SIMULATION BUNKER
Year : 2836
Location : Unknown

"Malcom, explain to me again what the protocol is here?"

The woman asking the question looked up from her screen at the man sitting directly across from her.

"We monitor them. We monitor them and add to the story." He didn't look up as he moved a holographic image to the side with a casual swipe of his hand. "Sometime between 1978 and 2010 they gained access to the simulation. We need to find out the who, why and how part."

Waving a hand to close the monitor in front of her, she sighed and sack back.

"So this family gained access to a simulation 100 years before it was created?"

"Exactly. Our division was created to infiltrate the family and recreate the chain of events of their lives in exact detail to determine how that became possible" He turned his own monitor off and stepped away from his desk.

"Catarina, I would be lying if I told you that this job was anything more than the expansive creation of a detailed journal. We are glamourous information miners."

"I understand that part." She had in fact been briefed on the technical aspects of the job. "What I'm not understanding is the format."

"We call it the narrative." He flicked his hand and the image of a girl sitting on the side of a bed in a small room appeared. "At some point during the monitoring of one of her lives..."

"Is that Tayler? The Price girl?" She interrupted him when seeing the familiar face from her training.

"It is." He circled around the projection. "As I was saying, at some point during the monitoring of one of her lives, the programmers began detailing it as The Narrative."

"When one is tasked with observing the same subject for 103 lifetimes it simply became a more entertaining way to document the details."

"A story." Catarina stood up and walked around the image of the young girl. "We are telling her story."

"Not just her. Other divisions have the same task as relates to her father, mother, brother and sister." Malcom sat back down. "Somewhere in all these Narratives is the answer to how this particular family were able to access the ERWEN simulation. We simply document every detail, layer upon layer and pass it upstairs. If it was obvious, this would have been solved long ago."

"What about the ERWEN part of the narrative?" She pulled up her own screen, manipulated a few dials in the air and a group of assorted images appeared. "Why does the narrative also include their perspective?"

"Those characters are actually the constant in the entire story. Those come from the side we have full access to as they are decedents of the original uploads into ERWEN." He came closer to where she stood. "The beauty of the ERWEN simulator technology is that the human consciousness uploads were free to create the worlds they live in. The thought was that even as a digital upload they would still in many ways continue to live."

He scrolled left to right through the characters she had pulled up. "The Master, Gabriel, Emmanuel, the hounds. All unique to this particular simulation that this family somehow gained access to. To them they are part of an individual universe of which they truly have agency in.  Tayler and her fmily entering into their world is just a complex reality of the individual lives they are freely leading."

"But not really." Catarina closed her projection. "In the end it is just a simulation."

"Is it?" Malcom's voice seemed to stiffen.

"The residents of ERWEN believe they have free will. They and their descendants are so far removed from the original upload in 2186 of their consciousness that this is reality.  Some live life simply as farmers or artists, others want to rule it. So some lead, some follow. They eat what they want, plan their individual days as they see fit.  How is that any different from what we are right now in this room ?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, simply put. How do we know that we are not in a simulation ourselves?" He paused. "Have you ever considered that possibility? Or even the Ebola pandemic that wiped out the population. We know that to be true how ? Because we are told it is true by people we trust. How are we any different from the ERWEN uploads if we just blindly believe that our existence is real?"

"Because we are the monitors of the simulation." The words sounded less confident than she would have wished. "We are the chosen last survivors of humanity that were assigned to maintain the simulation and protect the consciousness and health of the uploads. Ten generations of our kind have been tasked and trained to do so with honor."

"Of course, it is likely the case. My mind just sometimes wanders." Malcom sat back down in his chair and let out a nervous laugh. "It just feels like that is the type of story you would program for a a common worker to believe after being uploaded to work their whole life in a simulation."

She laughed at the last line. He had a point. The miracle that was ERWEN was in fact built to be indistinguishable from reality.

"But back to the work." In a flurry of hand gestures Malcom quickly had his holographic workstation activated again. "It will be best for your first few months to just simply absorb the entire narrative to get yourself acclimated."

"From the beginning?" She turned on a separate console and the virtual image of a book appeared. Malcom had told her an information miner from the early 3000's had formatted the investigation of The Price's in that form as a retro joke, and it had stayed that way ever since.

"You could." He glanced over her way. "I would be shocked if there is anything worth mining before she was twelve. I would personally start there."

"Sounds good." She reached out towards the book, found an index and pressed on the year 2012.

This STORY you are about to read (Six Circles - Journey To Erwen) is about a small town and an even smaller family that lives there and a magical pendant. This small story lives within a large SERIES (The Erwen Chronicles) that is about the end of humanity and what comes after that. 

We could go straight to the exciting apocalypse part, but that’s not much of a story, is it? 

If you do continue, please understand that this tale can only be told as it happened, or will happen. That being the case, it cannot exclude the following elements : magic, artificial intelligence, the 1980s, talking animals, video games, alternate universes, heroes, the 1990s, oppressive governments, awful villains, sports, middle school awkwardness, zombies (well, vampire zombies actually), philosophy, terrorists, the future, first kisses, murder, adventure, and ice cream. 

If you didn't read all twenty of those enticing words, please feel free to continue if you like these four; magic, talking animals, ice cream and video games. Those moving forward on the video games and ice cream will just be in for a few more surprises than the others. 

For everyone else, enjoy Book One of The Erwen Chronicles “Six Circles — Journey To Erwen” 

Note : Changed my mind already, and I think we WILL actually start at the end of it all. Bring on the apocalypse ! 

Sort of......























Still here ??? Wow. ( Congrats ) 

“Six Circles — Journey To Erwen” 
Full Synopsis (Directors/Nerd Cut) 

In the year 2086 an uncurbable laboratory created Ebola Virus (stolen from the Texas Biomedical Institute by right-wing extremists) is weaponized and unleashed upon the world's largest cities in a strategic attack. 

Within six months of the attack, humanity lies on the brink of extinction. 

In an effort to salvage the last remnants of the species, a United Nations effort to advance and finalize the science of Whole Brain Emulation (WBE) is initiated. The technology scans the physical structure of the brain and copies it to digital form. 

Just over a year after the attack, the virus has killed off 90% of the entire world population. The Cenozoic Era of the species ends and the Singularity Age begins as the remaining humans merge with their technology and are uploaded using the WBE technology to a cloud storage system called ERWEN. 


“SIX CIRCLES — JOURNEY TO ERWEN” is the first book of THE ERWEN CHRONICLES

Hi all. I hope that you enjoy the story.
It is pure smut, but there is detail about the Primordial Sin of Lust, who takes the first-person narrative in the story. You, as the readers, take the second-person narrative.
Like I have written in the summary, the story is not really about the Primordial Sin of Lust, as it is more or less an omnipotent force in the Aspectual Multiverse. It is usually the driving force of all my smut, hence my penname.
The story is about you. There are actually more than one "you", as you will eventually burn out, to let another person take your place, who will be the next "you". I will never write from a female's point of view for smut. If I do, it will be glossed over because I have a penis.
Anyway, I am here to talk to you about the sequence of the story.
While it is written in a chronological order, it is not listed in a chronological order. It is listed by realities with the name of the female. The number in bracket indicate the actual order of the event in the story, so #1 means actual conquest 1. #2 means actual conquest 2.
Note how I say conquest instead of chapter. A conquest can span dozens of chapters. You should use the search function to locate chapter in chronological order. 
"You" tends to jump around a lot since you are pretty horny. If you are not, why are you reading this story? I have plenty of story that doesn't revolve around smut.
Well. See you. Join the Aspectual Multiverse to request new scenario!

This is not a story about me. It is a story about you. Many of you, especially you, who would sell your soul for the chance to live in a fictional world of your fantasy.

I will grant you that wish, for your lustful desire will make me stronger. I will even give you a slither of myself, allowing you to rewrite the world in your own image. Rewrite the world into your own sexual paradise. 

I do not mind, for whatever you do, I will become stronger.

Do you accept my offer? The offer to become God of Fiction?

Translator: Rainbow Turtle
Note: Changed Chalatustra to Zarathustra.

Yoo Jonghyuk was next and he enjoyed an unprecedented popularity. There was even some sound on the second floor when he came out. It felt like I heard the name 'Eden' so I didn't know how to feel.

[Yoo Jonghyuuuuk―!]

[The best Supreme King!]

[Come into our nebula!]

There was a bit of time left until the Story Succession. I sat down on the first floor and watched for a while. I had to be wary of all constellations, regardless of whether they were great or narrative-grade.

I wasn't looking for reliable people. There was a reason Dionysus told me to trust no one. Thus, I wasn't looking for someone 'reliable' but someone I could 'use.'

"I..." Iris approached me and opened her mouth.

I could predict what she was going to say. I warned her first before she opened her mouth. "Don't be hasty if you want to survive."

"Yes, yes?" Iris' blank face became astonished as she looked into the air.

[A few constellations are amazed by your judgment.]

[A few constellation have sponsored you 5,000 coins for the cider.]

There was a panel on the ceiling that zoomed in on Iris' face. Iris blushed and the watching constellations chuckled. Iris muttered,

"A-All that was filmed?"

It was naive to think the channel would be turned off after entering the world of the constellations. Rather, the constellation's eyes would've shone from the moment we came here as they watched our reactions.

Especially those on the second floor. Maybe the reaction of the constellations had almost reached the peak when they saw the confrontation between Iris and I in the waiting room.

However, I didn't want to give them pleasure. As I said, I didn't come here to play. At the very least, I didn't want to look silly. "Do well next time, Kid."

I patted Iris' shoulder and got up. Once I moved, the constellations on the first floor reacted.

[Kim Dokja! Come here!]

All the constellations on the first floor were in the form of 'symbols' rather than humanoid or biological forms. It was hard for the great-grade constellations to handle the probability consumption so they saved on the consumption cost by streamlining their bodies into the simple symbols.

At first glance, I couldn't see who was who. Then I saw a bamboo stick and straw and the golden crown of Silla.

"Bald General of Justice. And the other... Lady of the Brocade Sleep?"

[Ohh! You remember me!]

[That's right. It has been a while.]

I found the constellations of the Korean Peninsula.

[I wanted to see you once but to think we would meet like this.]

The floating eye seemed to be the One-eyed Maitreya...

In addition, there was the symbolic body for the Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol, King Heungmu the Great. There was Gyebaek...

[Kim Dokja.]

I looked back at the voice and saw a 100 won coin floating. 100 won? Who was the 100 won?

[It is good to meet you.]

"W-Who...?"

[I'm upset. You don't recognise me?]

Wait. Who was the person on the 100 won coin?

"Admiral?"

I asked in a startled manner. My patriotism might be close to zero but I couldn't help feeling emotional when I saw this person. The coin turned in the air, revealing the figure engraved on the front.

[It seems like you are using the stigma I gave you.]

"Thank you for that time."

The Duke of Loyalty and Warfare, Yi Sunsin. The person who gave me the Song of the Sword was also invited to this banquet.

"By the way, why do you look like this?"

[...This appearance isn't according to my will.]

I somehow understood what he meant. Speaking of which, the Duke of Loyalty and Warfare wasn't the only one in the form of currency. I looked at the green paper on one side of the first floor and asked,

"Then perhaps that person is...?"

Yi Sunsin nodded.

[He is the founder of 'Hangul.' Do you know the big golden statue in Gwanghwamun?]

I knew it. I couldn't not know it. Yi Sunsin continued speaking,

[The symbolism is according to our most known symbols. Perhaps he is similar to me.]

I looked sadly towards the 'Founder of Hangul.' King Sejong was the 100 won note while  Yi Sunsin was the 100 won coin. These great people were confined to currency and eventually these became their symbolic body.

Then a giggling sound came from the second floor. The constellations on the second floor all had 'humanoid' or at least living appearances.

Even the most famous people on the Korean Peninsula didn't get a humanoid form. It was hard to imagine how strong these constellations were. I was really lucky to have only hunted Yamata no Orochi's shadow.

At this moment, a constellation caught my eye. "Who is that constellation?"

[Who? Oh, that person?]

I noticed a person sitting on the landing between the first and second floors while drinking alcohol. He was armed with a long knife and maintained a humanoid figure instead of a symbol. No matter how I looked, he must be narrative-grade. Yet the passing narrative-grade constellations were staring at him with contempt.

Samyeongdang interrupted. [Among the great-grade constellations of the Korean Peninsula, there is no one above that person.]

"He is great-grade?"

[You might say that he is the strongest great-grade. It isn't due to fame among later generations but a position he gained from the stories he accumulated.]

Certainly, if he had enough room to maintain a humanoid body then he wouldn't be defeated by the narrative-grade constellations. As far as I knew, such a presence was only in China...

[Have you heard of Goryeo's First Sword?' I heard that it was revitalized recently.]

Goryeo's First Sword.

"Don't tell me..."

I realized that who he was. I wondered why I didn't recognize him instantly. If this constellation was the greatest person on the Korean Peninsula then he should've been the first one to come to mind.

[Everyone leave!]

Then there was a disturbance on the stairs. Some constellations who came down from the second floor were coming this way. No one was able to face them.

Yi Sunsin sighed. [...Your popularity is great. They want to take you to the second floor.]

Yoo Jonghyuk was already being led up to the second floor by someone. On the other hand, Iris remained on the first floor and looked at me with envious eyes. Perhaps the story she came to inherit was only from a great-grade constellation.

[Please take care.]

As soon as I nodded, the symbol of a constellation appeared. The symbol was in the form of a reaper. I recognized who they were with one glance.

[The queen is looking for you.]

They were the judges of the Underworld. That reminded me, they were narrative-grade. Although they borrowed Persephone's stories to maintain themselves...

I was heading up the stairs with them when someone on the landing spat.

[...You are pathetic. Fawning on the guys from the second floor.]

The judges became furious at the Goryeo's First Sword's words.

[Goryeo's First Sword, what are you saying?]

[Do you want to die?]

The Goryeo's First Sword rose from his seat at the judge's remarks.

[I am ready to die at any time. Shall we fight?]

The symbolic body of Goryeo's First Sword was bigger than I thought. No, maybe this feeling didn't come from the size of the symbolic body. This was the size of the 'status' of the constellation.

[Don't be a fool. Lowlife parasites who are barely attached to the end of a narrative.]

The awe-inspiring aura caused the attention of the first and second floor constellations to focus here. The judges seemed a bit embarrassed but couldn't retreat easily because of their pride.

The eyes of Goryeo's First Sword shone. He seemed like he would take the lives of the three judges right away. He looked beyond them at the narrative-grade constellations acting like nobles on the second floor.

[Olympus. Eden. Vedas... I don't know why you came to such a small village but it would be nice if you didn't leave your servants here.]

The atmosphere of the second floor became intense after his words. No matter how strong Goryeo's First Sword was, they couldn't endure the taunting of a great-grade constellation. The moment that the banquet hall was going to be a fight among constellations...

[Stop―!]

A powerful true voice dominated the entire banquet hall and the atmosphere quickly sank.

[Judges, don't do unnecessary things. And Goryeo's First Sword, you shouldn't be too rude.]

At the cool tone, the judges started guiding me again while Goryeo's First Sword sat down with a disgruntled expression and started drinking.

I looked at the owner of the voice. As expected, it was the Queen of the Underworld.

Persephone's strength wasn't known but she was the wife of one of the three heads of Olympus for a reason. Perhaps among the narrative-grade constellations who came here today, Persephone was among the top.

[It's been a while. Kim Dokja.]

The Persephone I met still looked like Yoo Sangah. She was truly a spiteful aunty.

"How are you?"

[You did something useless in Tartarus.]

"Haha..."

I shrugged and looked at the constellations around me. It was harder to tell who the constellations were when they had a humanoid body instead of symbolic body. A symbol could evoke the name of a constellation... 

I could also see the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven sitting on the second floor. The Great Sage the Equal of Heaven looked at me for a moment before turning his head away.

...Was his personality originally like this?

After a bit more time, the arrangement of the second floor became familiar and I seemed to figure out the camps.

Olympus was based around the central Persephone, Vedas was in the west and those who weren't in a nebula or were in small nebulaes were to the north, including Great Sage the Equal of Heaven...

Finally, it was easy to recognize Eden in the south. It was due to the wings. An incredibly beautiful angel winked lightly at me. She was an angel dressed like a demon in the black lace dress...

Wait a second. Like a demon? That's right. Was she that angel?

I was suddenly curious. Maybe that constellation...

"Queen of the Underworld. I want to ask you something."

[What is it?]

"Did the constellation called Secretive Plotter come here?"

[...Secretive Plotter?]

Persephone's expression seemed strange for a moment. Then she shook her head.

[I don't know. More than that, the Story Succession will soon begin. Have you made a decision? There are a few constellations who want to use your resurrection.]

"I'm still thinking."

Of course, there were a few methods I thought of. However... Persephone seemed to read my thoughts.

[Perhaps you want to reject everyone. It has been like this the entire time.]

Indeed, this was a favourite statement in my channel. In fact, I wanted to choose this method.

[However, this choice isn't right. It is because everyone will start a copyright dispute.]

"A copyright over a story?"

[They will claim it was their own. It'll probably be quite painful.]

Damn, they were complete thugs.

"Are you telling me to choose Olympus?"

Persephone laughed.

[I'm not saying that. In fact, I hate those guys.]

As it said in Ways of Survival, Persephone had a rather hostile relationship with Olympus. In fact, the Olympus participants at this banquet were only the 'third generation.' Despite this, the constellations of other nebulae were reluctant to approach.

Maybe Persephone... to be precise, they were on guard against 'Hades.' Thus, I was unwittingly protected by the Underworld. It might be fortunate that the first narrative-grade constellation I met was Persephone.

"Then Queen-nim what do you think I should choose. Vedas? Or will it be Eden? Perhaps a different nebula?"

Persephone shook her head.

[You will gain an enemy no matter who you choose. In addition, these enemies will be far stronger than any enemies you have ever met. As you can see, the 'resurrection story' forms the basis of the mythology of many nebulae. Accepting one story sometimes means denying another.]

Persephone licked her lips like she had delicious steak in front of her. Maybe the queen was enjoying this situation.  I felt a bit annoyed as I asked her, "...Then what do you want to say?"

[I just wanted to share my thoughts. Think about it. Is it a problem of turning them into an enemy?]

It wasn't a problem of turning them into an enemy?

Finally, a dokkaebi went to the stage and opened his mouth.

-From now on, the Story Succession will begin!

Only I know the end of this world.
One day our MC finds himself stuck in the world of his favorite webnovel. What does he do to survive? It is a world struck by catastrophe and danger all around.
His edge? He knows the plot of the story to end. Because he was the sole reader that stuck with it. Read his story to see how he survives!

[The rest are on Battlefield Restart (Edited)]

Shounen is a demographic aimed at teens and young adults to sell Manga. 'Stuff that boys like'.

If so, what is the 'Shounen Formula' Anitubers be raging about whenever series along the lines of Demon Slayer or Black Clover is released? And what makes this formula appealing as a story?

Dragon Ball Z might have set the stage for kids everywhere to learn of love and friendship through two dudes punching the life out of each other, but it was Black Clover who 'defined' what the modern interpretation of the Shounen Formula actually is.

To be more specific, let's analyse some major components in how that Anime works. Starting off with the 'Hero' being in a state where he isn't content with his life and desires for improvement.

Like the Hero's Journey, this is the first trope used to quickly give the main character a goal or purpose in the overall plot. Though in series like Fullmetal Alchemist they don't explicitly say what it is they are specifically looking for, there is normally a broad or innocent goal they strive for with every fibre of their being from childhood to adolescence.

Attack on Titan made it 'killing all titans' and Hunter X Hunter made it 'looking for father figure'. Though some might interpret their differences as one being more 'good' and the other being 'bad', what is truly contrasting is how relevant they are to the overarching narrative established in the story. It doesn't matter how good or bad their ambitions are for them since purpose itself isn't a story.

Some say Hunter X Hunter is 'deconstructive' without even knowing how or why it's considered to be just that. After all, to deconstruct a story's plot device, you must know how it works before you attempt to do it. The only thing that Anime did was introduce a character named Gon Freecs who only wanted three things in live: To make good friends, go on an adventure, and find his father.

He achieves both of the first two goals he set off his journey towards in the first Arc itself, the third goal only becoming relevant near the end of the Anime's last Arc. So rather than 'searching for what he set off his journey for', the story becomes more about him protecting these bonds as the unfeeling world. Other characters becoming more apparent due to him having a 'stagnant character arc'.

Now, defending friendship itself has never been Shounen's unique aspect, as even My Little Pony got that covered. What was really considered a 'deconstruction' was how, while other stories would connect 'defending friendship' to the central narrative. It had always taken a back seat compared to other characters and their struggles.

Attack on Titan and Black Clover, on the other hand, made their character's goals and the overarching narrative have relevance. Eren from Attack on Titan finds his original goal changing throughout the story as the stakes in the narrative become higher while the 'Wizard King' in Asta strives for in Black Clover will always have relevance when there are threats to the kingdom.

Whether your character achieves their goal or not doesn't matter though as much as the next trope:

Power Levels and Escalating Stakes.

Although this can be likened to how people play an RPG to level up and grind, it is actually the exact opposite in practice. The reason most protagonists start off as 'normal' is to give more familiarity.

No one can empathise with a human tank that can take hits like a boss but a normal person who can get heavily injured a punch that broke the wall behind him is the kind of person I can get behind.

If he has superpowers, then all you have to do is focus on his more 'mundane and normal' aspects that have nothing to do with his abilities. This acts as setting the 'floor' of your Power Systems.

Then escalate the conflicts from then on until he becomes a god... Not! Well, you can if you want to write a 'Immortal Hero' genre Eastern Fantasy, but there is more to power scaling than just that.

For example: Why do 'power levels' even exist?

My opinion is that they are supposed to represents the 'ranks' we see in real life. Those we see as far more superior than us due to high IQ or physical ability and are reluctant to get in conflicts with.

In a more down to Earth version of the Shounen Formula on display: This would be making the main character a victim of bullying and the bullies as the antagonists that need to be overcome by the end.

To put it into the perspective I brought up: The protagonist would first have his motivation written as something he needs but is not so specific as the narrative that ends the story, like making a friend.

I know this seems complicated, but hear me out a bit. A Shounen protagonist never has the exact same desire as what the overall narrative is about as that would make it more unrealistic. After all, if he just didn't want to be bullied, there are too many people he can ask unless you make the world have exaggeratedly bad teachers, parents, or both.

Now let's bring up the 'power levels and escalating stakes' back into the discussion for this example.

For this kind of story, the power levels would be basically the rules that govern who is strong in reality like physical condition, martial arts, strategic actions, and improvised or self-defence weapons on hand. The escalating stakes would be what problem you want to start with and what you want to end with. You can either start with normal life problems and end with the bullies being beaten or start with the bullies and end with some 'gang'.

It depends on how much contrivances you can add before the reader finds the plot a little too absurd.

I read a Manwha called 'Outcast' before that embodies these two points perfectly and ended just the way you'd expect. It was a satisfying story because there was a clear character progression.

Now that we have covered Motivations, Power Levels, and Escalating Stakes... Let's talk about the elephant in the room, the actual main character of a normal Shounen and how the template operates.

The Shounen Formula is now similar to the Superhero genre in a way, depicting someone ordinary doing the extraordinary. However, the in the Shounen Formula is less about using power responsibly and normally more towards how their use of their particular power affects the world around them. Rather than conforming to the rules of the world, Shounen protagonists break the mould to go beyond themselves for their desire.

Take Deku from My Hero Academia as an example of this. If you were to follow the standard Superhero Formula, Deku gaining superpowers would be turned into a responsibility he has to handle for the rest of his life rather than an opportunity to achieve his childhood dreams. The emphasis would be put more into his decisions using that power rather than his own motivation.

This isn't because the Superhero Formula doesn't know what it's doing. Instead, it is out of clear understanding of what their audiences want in their characters. Westerners like reading a story about choice and being down to Earth enough to think about compromise while Easterners like the feeling of watching the main character achieve his dream.

Rather than a different in morals, it is the difference in perspective and emphasis that draws a line between the Superhero Formula and the Shounen Formula. Even though their are predecessors established tropes like 'Superhero Costumes' and backseat revenge motives coming from slaughtered family members, the only two things you actually need are the two point I talked of.

Other than those points, you could say that the Shounen Formula now has established archetypes for how their main characters are written. These ARE NOT mandatory as they are still tropes:

Calm Type- Their initial first impression is always as simple as 'calm and kind' like Rimuru from Slime Reincarnation or literally any generic Isekai protagonist that exists. They usually either personify normality or are actually Jesus.

These type of protagonists are the go-to for regular Authors as people like a level-headed protagonist who can make decisive decisions like a leader-like figure should be able to do.

Insecure Type- The type like Deku and kid Naruto who have major baggage in their hearts but can only live on until they overcome them either by moving past their insecurities or discarding those worries entirely. This is the type most high schoolers can relate to as teenagers are always unsure of something and weigh themselves down.

Forthright Type- This is usually the character referred to as a 'knucklehead' because of how often he would literally use his head to talk sense into idiots who are haunt by a 'ghost' (a lie the antagonist believes that's not entirely true).

This type of character normally sees straight through all the facades people up in their lives and do whatever they see fit in response. They don't even try talking things out normally as their actions become a direct response to the entire world.

Unlike the previous two examples, these characters rarely change like Luffy from One Piece and Tanjirou from Demon Slayer. Though being forthright doesn't equal being stupid, it is easier for them to be manipulated due to putting their hearts on their sleeves. Though this is balanced out with the amount of people who find this refreshing.

Underdog Type- Apparently 'Loser who doesn't give up' directly translates to 'stud' in Japanese considering how unnaturally toned these guys are for their age. Just look at Deku from HeroAca plus Gon and Kullua from Hunter X Hunter...

This kind of character is the most 'suitable' for the Shounen Formula as all characters that abide by this formula start off weaker or at the same level as every normal strong person in their vicinity.

When I say normal though, I mean NORMAL as the Shounen Formula loves using 'normals' as foil to show just how badass these monstrously strong guys are (it's called 'jobbing' when you introduce someone whose entire purpose in the story is just to lose to another character and make him or them look better. A 'jobber' like Buggy from One Piece if you will). Though this isn't why underdogs are popular to 'normal' people weaker than others.

I've written in a previous blog on the benefits of this trope in depth on another Analysis so I'll skip the small details and just get to talking about why the Shounen Formula loves this kind of character.

After all: Their motivation for improvement becomes clearer if nobody likes him, you can start off at the bottom of your 'Power Scale', and escalate stakes as you like without breaking tension. A weaker person goes through more tribulations to become strong, which is why series with physically weaker characters tend to drag on forever until they reach the apex of their power.

Take from this advice what you will. I accept any blog requests as long as their writing based. 👍😆

Inspired by the Naruto Is Reincarnated fanfic on Webnovel. A story of how Sakura sent herself back in time after the Fifth Great Ninja War and vows to change everything for the better. To do so, she experimented on herself and created techniques. Until she finally created a Jutsu that could send her back using a rare medium.

Shounen is a demographic aimed at teens and young adults to sell Manga. 'Stuff that boys like'.

If so, what is the 'Shounen Formula' Anitubers be raging about whenever series along the lines of Demon Slayer or Black Clover is released? And what makes this formula appealing as a story?

Dragon Ball Z might have set the stage for kids everywhere to learn of love and friendship through two dudes punching the life out of each other, but it was Black Clover who 'defined' what the modern interpretation of the Shounen Formula actually is.

To be more specific, let's analyse some major components in how that Anime works. Starting off with the 'Hero' being in a state where he isn't content with his life and desires for improvement.

Like the Hero's Journey, this is the first trope used to quickly give the main character a goal or purpose in the overall plot. Though in series like Fullmetal Alchemist they don't explicitly say what it is they are specifically looking for, there is normally a broad or innocent goal they strive for with every fibre of their being from childhood to adolescence.

Attack on Titan made it 'killing all titans' and Hunter X Hunter made it 'looking for father figure'. Though some might interpret their differences as one being more 'good' and the other being 'bad', what is truly contrasting is how relevant they are to the overarching narrative established in the story. It doesn't matter how good or bad their ambitions are for them since purpose itself isn't a story.

Some say Hunter X Hunter is 'deconstructive' without even knowing how or why it's considered to be just that. After all, to deconstruct a story's plot device, you must know how it works before you attempt to do it. The only thing that Anime did was introduce a character named Gon Freecs who only wanted three things in live: To make good friends, go on an adventure, and find his father.

He achieves both of the first two goals he set off his journey towards in the first Arc itself, the third goal only becoming relevant near the end of the Anime's last Arc. So rather than 'searching for what he set off his journey for', the story becomes more about him protecting these bonds as the unfeeling world. Other characters becoming more apparent due to him having a 'stagnant character arc'.

Now, defending friendship itself has never been Shounen's unique aspect, as even My Little Pony got that covered. What was really considered a 'deconstruction' was how, while other stories would connect 'defending friendship' to the central narrative. It had always taken a back seat compared to other characters and their struggles.

Attack on Titan and Black Clover, on the other hand, made their character's goals and the overarching narrative have relevance. Eren from Attack on Titan finds his original goal changing throughout the story as the stakes in the narrative become higher while the 'Wizard King' in Asta strives for in Black Clover will always have relevance when there are threats to the kingdom.

Whether your character achieves their goal or not doesn't matter though as much as the next trope:

Power Levels and Escalating Stakes.

Although this can be likened to how people play an RPG to level up and grind, it is actually the exact opposite in practice. The reason most protagonists start off as 'normal' is to give more familiarity.

No one can empathise with a human tank that can take hits like a boss but a normal person who can get heavily injured a punch that broke the wall behind him is the kind of person I can get behind.

If he has superpowers, then all you have to do is focus on his more 'mundane and normal' aspects that have nothing to do with his abilities. This acts as setting the 'floor' of your Power Systems.

Then escalate the conflicts from then on until he becomes a god... Not! Well, you can if you want to write a 'Immortal Hero' genre Eastern Fantasy, but there is more to power scaling than just that.

For example: Why do 'power levels' even exist?

My opinion is that they are supposed to represents the 'ranks' we see in real life. Those we see as far more superior than us due to high IQ or physical ability and are reluctant to get in conflicts with.

In a more down to Earth version of the Shounen Formula on display: This would be making the main character a victim of bullying and the bullies as the antagonists that need to be overcome by the end.

To put it into the perspective I brought up: The protagonist would first have his motivation written as something he needs but is not so specific as the narrative that ends the story, like making a friend.

I know this seems complicated, but hear me out a bit. A Shounen protagonist never has the exact same desire as what the overall narrative is about as that would make it more unrealistic. After all, if he just didn't want to be bullied, there are too many people he can ask unless you make the world have exaggeratedly bad teachers, parents, or both.

Now let's bring up the 'power levels and escalating stakes' back into the discussion for this example.

For this kind of story, the power levels would be basically the rules that govern who is strong in reality like physical condition, martial arts, strategic actions, and improvised or self-defence weapons on hand. The escalating stakes would be what problem you want to start with and what you want to end with. You can either start with normal life problems and end with the bullies being beaten or start with the bullies and end with some 'gang'.

It depends on how much contrivances you can add before the reader finds the plot a little too absurd.

I read a Manwha called 'Outcast' before that embodies these two points perfectly and ended just the way you'd expect. It was a satisfying story because there was a clear character progression.

Now that we have covered Motivations, Power Levels, and Escalating Stakes... Let's talk about the elephant in the room, the actual main character of a normal Shounen and how the template operates.

The Shounen Formula is now similar to the Superhero genre in a way, depicting someone ordinary doing the extraordinary. However, the in the Shounen Formula is less about using power responsibly and normally more towards how their use of their particular power affects the world around them. Rather than conforming to the rules of the world, Shounen protagonists break the mould to go beyond themselves for their desire.

Take Deku from My Hero Academia as an example of this. If you were to follow the standard Superhero Formula, Deku gaining superpowers would be turned into a responsibility he has to handle for the rest of his life rather than an opportunity to achieve his childhood dreams. The emphasis would be put more into his decisions using that power rather than his own motivation.

This isn't because the Superhero Formula doesn't know what it's doing. Instead, it is out of clear understanding of what their audiences want in their characters. Westerners like reading a story about choice and being down to Earth enough to think about compromise while Easterners like the feeling of watching the main character achieve his dream.

Rather than a different in morals, it is the difference in perspective and emphasis that draws a line between the Superhero Formula and the Shounen Formula. Even though their are predecessors established tropes like 'Superhero Costumes' and backseat revenge motives coming from slaughtered family members, the only two things you actually need are the two point I talked of.

Other than those points, you could say that the Shounen Formula now has established archetypes for how their main characters are written. These ARE NOT mandatory as they are still tropes:

Calm Type- Their initial first impression is always as simple as 'calm and kind' like Rimuru from Slime Reincarnation or literally any generic Isekai protagonist that exists. They usually either personify normality or are actually Jesus.

These type of protagonists are the go-to for regular Authors as people like a level-headed protagonist who can make decisive decisions like a leader-like figure should be able to do.

Insecure Type- The type like Deku and kid Naruto who have major baggage in their hearts but can only live on until they overcome them either by moving past their insecurities or discarding those worries entirely. This is the type most high schoolers can relate to as teenagers are always unsure of something and weigh themselves down.

Forthright Type- This is usually the character referred to as a 'knucklehead' because of how often he would literally use his head to talk sense into idiots who are haunt by a 'ghost' (a lie the antagonist believes that's not entirely true).

This type of character normally sees straight through all the facades people up in their lives and do whatever they see fit in response. They don't even try talking things out normally as their actions become a direct response to the entire world.

Unlike the previous two examples, these characters rarely change like Luffy from One Piece and Tanjirou from Demon Slayer. Though being forthright doesn't equal being stupid, it is easier for them to be manipulated due to putting their hearts on their sleeves. Though this is balanced out with the amount of people who find this refreshing.

Underdog Type- Apparently 'Loser who doesn't give up' directly translates to 'stud' in Japanese considering how unnaturally toned these guys are for their age. Just look at Deku from HeroAca plus Gon and Kullua from Hunter X Hunter...

This kind of character is the most 'suitable' for the Shounen Formula as all characters that abide by this formula start off weaker or at the same level as every normal strong person in their vicinity.

When I say normal though, I mean NORMAL as the Shounen Formula loves using 'normals' as foil to show just how badass these monstrously strong guys are (it's called 'jobbing' when you introduce someone whose entire purpose in the story is just to lose to another character and make him or them look better. A 'jobber' like Buggy from One Piece if you will). Though this isn't why underdogs are popular to 'normal' people weaker than others.

I've written in a previous blog on the benefits of this trope in depth on another Analysis so I'll skip the small details and just get to talking about why the Shounen Formula loves this kind of character.

After all: Their motivation for improvement becomes clearer if nobody likes him, you can start off at the bottom of your 'Power Scale', and escalate stakes as you like without breaking tension. A weaker person goes through more tribulations to become strong, which is why series with physically weaker characters tend to drag on forever until they reach the apex of their power.

Take from this advice what you will. I accept any blog requests as long as their writing based. 👍😆

(Cover by Darkstar Dust)

This is a story I worked on ages ago that has been refined and edited by adding foreshadowing to events while also simplifying the power system better than before. This story can be considered a prequel to An Adventure Beyond Greatness as it takes place years prior to the events of that story.

Short Synopsis:
After retiring from the battlefield, my life became empty and lifeless. The regrets of my past haunt me in my sleep. Then a change occurred, a King from another world summoned me to fight for his kingdom, but I died even before I could give him my answer. Now, after a fake God allowed me to reincarnate (albeit imperfectly) with my memories intact, into a world filled with magic and swords.

Long Synopsis:
This is about a flawed protagonist who only knew to rely on others and not socialise who gets a second chance to change himself in order to live the life he aimed for in his past life. The narrator isn’t exactly trustworthy since it is purely in his bias perspective while other perspectives given by others fill in the blanks that he either leaves out or twists to suit the situation.

The story itself can be considered a parody of Isekai’s classic tropes which are given a sense of reality as time goes by. As there exists no ‘Demon Lord’, there is also no black and white, only characters opinions and counter-opinions throughout the story.

Narudo after obtaining his recent godhood smiled, i will now be the one above all others, He let out a scream "HATHGOROMO FIGHT ME". "hahahahahah you fool" said hathgoromo as he appears in front of narudo , "give it all you got said hathgoromo. {Rasengan: Narudo creates a ball that surpasses the speed formula itself and is always active what this ball does is erase utterly any type of character with no limit. Successfully erasing their very design, their role, function, and purpose in the story. The user can not only erase them from the story but also their history or ties they may have with other characters, places, or objects from the entire narrative as if the character didn't exist at all, Totally erasing the very idea of the character. "ahahahaha" said hathgoromo, {Full Counter: Hathgoromo repells any attack formed by a fictional character with a narrative attached back at them, if they dont have a narritive attached he forces it on them via blackaphysics this ability is always on and happening} is Narudo dead?

Follow the Adventures Of Narudo in a quest to become one who is above all others. many comedic like powers and op characters in this action packed book

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