#pypy lore

[klug]

So Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop is out and I see a lot of theories going around… This is half a self-indulgent post for me and half a poorly thrown together essay reviewing Sig and Aya's and the blue soul and the crimson soul's, relationship to each other. because boy is it a bit of a complex web. @_@

Some people were talking about their relationship today in EPPC, and I'm bad at talking to people, so I decided to put my thoughts in a post + touch on some misconceptions (I guess?) around since the game just came out and it relies on knowing information presented in extra material like the audio dramas and the (sega) novels.

And of course, spoilers for the first 4 main routes of Puzzle Pop.

some quick bullet points before I start… you can skip this if youre fairly familiar with fever 2, tetris 2, and the novels

is Aya possessing Sig?!

how did Sig's power get unleashed by Meena? are they super ultra powerful??

no, Aya is clearly still imprisoned safely contained in the tome of sealing, so it probably isn't behind this. We also know in Lidelle's route that it and Klug were having some kind of argument after he ran into Sig.

Well, in the game, Lemres establishes that Meena normally is not that powerful… Rather, it's been a bit implied over the course of the games that his powers have been growing stronger, so I think that it's more that Meena broke down a dam that was already barely holding itself together… a brief timeline…

Puyo Puyo Fever 2 - Sig transfers to Primp Magic School and his hand suddenly turns red. This can presumably be linked to his proximity to the tome of sealing. Akuma attempts to prevent further resonation by using the Ito Hairito enchantment. Attempts at "curing" his hand are touched on in Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary

Sig's Secret happens a bit before Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary, and he has the incident of his powers being awakened by Witch's potion. This is the first time we actually see the "Demon part" of him take over, and it turned both of his eyes red when this happened. (src)

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - Sig and Klug are protected by a certain power from being influenced by Marle when she's causing mayhem in Primp Town. The crimson spirit was potentially protecting Klug in this situation, but what about Sig? I theorize that his own demon powers, which have been growing stronger, actually protected him as well. (Lemres' substory, PPT2)

Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop - Sig befriends Meena and offers to share some of his power. This seems to open the floodgates and allow the demon parts of him to take over.

fun fact: The words for "arm" and "hand" are the same in Japanese, so a lot of fans were actually surprised when they saw that his entire arm is red and not just his hand when his art in 20th came out.

Now, with those bullet points out of the way… the meat of this post is focusing more on Sig and Aya/Strange Klug/Possessed Klug/Crimson Spirit/Whatever name you want to call its relationship.

I think most people take the text in the games at face value, though the editing choices in translation don't really help I guess...the first instance of "red power" being translated as "evil power" will never be forgiven, but it's okay since Lemres and Schezo get it right--. I see a lot of people think that Aya is somehow influencing Sig in this story, but it has been established that Sig has the potential to tap into the full power that Aya probably wants access back to in Sig's Secret when Witch's power potion spills on him.

Back then, Sig and Amitie's friendship, and really any of his friendships, weren't very well-defined. However, she was able to bring him back by reminding him of their friendship...

Hey, Sig! …Let’s go back to café prep, alright!? I mean, Raffina’s gonna be super mad if you don’t show up! And then Klug’s gonna go all sarcastic on you again! Do you want that!? And, and, we haven’t even figured out what to put on the menu for our Special yet! If you really want me to, I’ll let you put whipped cream, for real!” I just kept screaming one thing after another as it came to me. Please, please, please… Please, let Sig hear my voice! “Please, come back to us! I promise, we all love you, so, so much! And I know, I know that deep inside, you really, really want to stay with us, too…!”

(src)

He manages to regain control of himself though clearly Amitie reminding him of everything isn't working in Puzzle Pop.

I kind of resummarized the climax of Sig's Secret because it felt important to contextualize his behavior, how its different in Puzzle Pop, and how people tend to conclude that "he must be possessed by Aya" as the first thought in Puzzle Pop. I also did this, though it was because I watched the routes out of order (lol). The behavior of this not!Sig is reckless, power-hungry, very very very gloating (just read the novel), and doesn't see any importance in friendships when it comes to Amitie and Meena (Lemres' route in Puzzle Pop). Meanwhile Aya, who has a very clear outlined goal of getting Sig back is…generally levelheaded, calm, and although angry about its situation, doesn't always charge straight for Sig whenever it's unsealed ("Amitie and Lidelle's Primp Tour", Puyo Puyo!! Quest story mode, etc.) So I think the binary the game presents of Aya being "evil" and Sig being "not evil" is not necessarily true considering how unreliable the narration of the "tome of sealing" is. I find it more accurate to say that they're power/impulse and control/logic, or you could argue they're a conscious and an unconscious.

I theorize that a piece of their original power lies dormant in Sig, and it is this power that Aya specifically wants back because it's…pretty powerless in its current form. This power, possibly the "crimson power", drives the "blue soul" in Sig a bit power hungry when its unleashed, and it has no conscious to control it because the "crimson soul" isn't in the vessel. I also think Sig and the "blue soul" are separate entities to an extent.

“Stop talking… Be quiet, just shut up! Gh… With every word you say, the voice in my head, it…GAAAAHHHH…!” “A voice, in your head? T-That’s gotta be Sig! Hey!! Sig!! If you can hear me, say something!”

(src)

The best comparison I have to this situation is Cinderpelt's reincarnation into Cinderheart in the book series Warriors. Cinderheart inherited Cinderpelt's soul after the latter's death, but because Cinderheart's grown to have her own experiences and is a separate entity while Cinderpelt lay dormant in their mind, they will separate in death. I think this "copilot"-ish situation is the case with Sig and it's why they're vying for control a second time in Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop.

I think that's why not!Sig is so "evil" and also gives people the impression that it might be Aya -- considering I also thought this -- though it's probably not the case since this story follows a similar formula to Sig's Secret with some tweaks to reflect a lot of subtle character growth, which is the subject of the next section.

Now, people might ask…why aren't Sig's eyes red and his hair dark like they were in Sig's Secret? Well, I think this is due to texture limitations for one, but I also think this is a sign of Sig's personal identity growing stronger over the course of the games. He has relationships he wants to hold onto, his own experiences, his own life, so he wouldn't just easily give up control of his physical vessel, even if he hasn't been speaking as himself in Puzzle Pop so far… This story's already done a lot with establishing Sig as a character and the importance of his relationship with Amitie, and he hasn't even actually spoken, which I find impressive. I also just like that all this stuff is only clear if you pay attention to the steady build up of the stories from the past few years… well, they were just breadcrumbs, I guess...Listen I've been following this plotline for 7-8 years and its been in the works for like 13? So you have to forgive me for feeling happy about having all the pieces of the puzzle.

As for what this means for the role Aya/the crimson spirit will play in the story… I'm not sure. I honestly don't expect it to appear at all since all the models/animations are recycled from Puyo Puyo Chronicle with some touch ups save for Meena. It has been referenced though, and the profiles in-game go in-depth on who it was and is, but I can't say if it'll actually make a fully story appearance…Especially since Klug was relegated to a side story role. Which is fine, I don't really care despite my URL. it was a good story. I do however expect this story to shed a lot of light on the relationship between the Sig, blue soul, and the crimson soul once its complete. I haven't even touched on my personal interpretation of Amitie and her hat, so maybe I'll make another post about that in the future? I think her situation is meant to parallel Sig's, but I'll save that for another time if people are interested...

As usual some of this is my interpretation, but everything I sourced is real and true and I'd never lie to you, etc.

Misc. Fun Stuff

These were things I liked about Aya and Sig's imagery/motifs but I wasn't able to fit into the post concisely.

not!Sig uses the same pronouns as Aya, 我 (wa) and お前 (omae), though they're written in hiragana as opposed to Aya's kanji. This is actually why I thought he was possessed because I walked into a stream in the middle of Ringo's route, haha.

My theory of Aya and Sig being a conscious and an unconscious are actually inspired by one of Aya's spells anima. Now in Latin this really just means "soul" which is fine, but in Jungian psychology the anima and animus are a dualistic archetype…which is cool, though this would potentially mean the crimson spirit is the unconscious part, haha! Technically they'd align more with Freud's concept of an id and a superego as I explained them, but I always like pointing out the possible Jungian reading of Aya's spell Yes, I realize I'm grasping for straws

[klug]

I agree with (almost) everything else here but I would like to say that the line about "Klug arguing with his book" had a different nuance in the Japanese text.

In the Japanese, Lidelle only said that he was looking at his book very seriously. I think the nuance in English is different compared to the Japanese, so I figured it'd be good to point this out.

In front of the school, I saw that Klug was examining his book with a really stern expression.

As for Klug's behavior and the memory inconsistencies, I don't necessarily think that it's inconsistent, but I do think that the fact that they're in the Dream World is affecting how directly the crimson spirit can communicate with him. Since the last time they "directly" interacted and conversed was also in a dream (Puyo Puyo Tetris 1 DLC A Primp Dream). Explaining anything else would be delving into personal interpretation territory though. I also think it's good to compare translations of the text, so I'll link another version of that scene from 20th Anniversary

*grips Klug by the shoulders* what is going on with you in this game

I really thought I had it all figured out in my last post, where I determined that Klug is still very much aware of the demon in his book, and that it has some sort of connection to Sig. I even thought it was safe to assume that he still remembered being possessed by it back in Fever 2, because it was the only time it happened where he wasn't confused afterwards.

But then that scene in Schezo's story happened and I have so many more questions. Because this really sounds like someone who doesn't even know that there's anything IN that book?? Which he very obviously does???

I'm not even talking about previous games at this point, because there's been weirder cases of amnesia in this series before; Klug repressing the knowledge he has of his book isn't a farfetched idea. But the problem with it is that this is the only scene (so far) where he's this clueless, and it happens later in the timeline than this one in Risukuma's story (if I've been tracking it right):

Klug's reactions here when Risukuma seems to be on the trail of What's Weird About the Book are absolutely about him wanting to keep Ayashii (whatever he remembers about it) a secret. I mean, would he really be that nervous if all he thought he was going to say was "it's got powerful magic inside of it"? He never really tries to hide that part, seeing as he casts spells with it.

It's even less obvious where in the timeline Accord's conversation with him happens, but he directly references "the tome" being ill at ease, once again suggesting that he at least sort of knows what its deal is. Plus, he says this to his teacher, so the idea that his book has feelings isn't even something he's

And lest we forget, he even gets in an argument with it off-screen. What's up with this "how can a book be fussy" nonsense?? He's not even saying it to cover up Ayashii's existence to other people, he's saying it to himself.

What changed? Is this just some accidental inconsistency, or should we be expecting a scene in a future update to explain it?? I'm losing my marbles over here

[klug]

I think whenever people talk about Klug's memories of being possessed being inconsistent, I feel like it's not as weird as they think. he's brushed it off as a one time thing that he did on purpose ( fever 2) and has proceeded to act like he has the tome under control when it has possessed him several times afterwards.

I think this can be explained by Klug either being in denial and brushing it off as just, nothing, he's making excuses or he is aware but isn't completely 100% sure if this is what is happening. We've known that the crimson spirit can passively influence Klug's actions and thoughts (Drama CD volume 7 and Puyo Puyo Quest main story) but I think Klug's memories of being possessed are not always super clear (Puyo Chronicle Drama CD and Drama CD volume 2) so he doesn't actually think anything is wrong

The dream stories in Puyo Puyo Tetris are probably operating on a different logic.

[klug]

the headcanon I have that is implied in canon that I am always surprised no one has picked up on is the implication that Lemres’ family has bad relations with or a bad reputation among demonkind

[klug]

ADULT ✧ EY/ITS ✧ MARCH 6, 2015🌙

SIDEBLOGS: art / writing / umineko spoilers / precure / translations / severance spoilers

LINKS: storygraph / backloggery / myanimelist / toyhouse / ao3

OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA: bluesky / neocities / fediverse

MORE INFO

[klug]

I just have, so much to say about Sig and how the people around him let him down almost...on PURPOSE but it doesn't MAKE SENSE AT ALL for it to be on-purpose because we don't have enough information as the audience to really understand...why. they would do this. there's like no foreshadowing of this to me.

This is more disorganized from here on out but like, the other Sig is the closest we're probably going to get on a "truly pure evil" villain that's hellbent on revenge and whatever in puyo. People want this out of Aya but I think people don't realize that value wise, she's just, not that kind of character. never has been and never will be. she wants a return to normalcy, not necessarily to inflict more suffering on people, which is why i think she and the other Sig would Deeply Be At Odds with each otherbut no one talks about this because Aya might as well not exist in the story at this point

I think part of the reason I'm so annoyed with Sig's narrative direction in Puyo Puyo lately is just that a lot of it was actually pretty preventable if people stepped in and trusted him to make an informed decision about his...condition, for lack of a better word.

I was talking about this with my partner last night but I think the ultimate tragedy is that Sig is told that something is "wrong" and he also knows he "isn't normal" but the actual "how and why" are kept from him. So he expends all of this energy suppressing and masking part of himself, his power/the other Sig, which are synonymous in my mind, instead of taking the time to approach this part of himself with compassion and understanding.

He's SO afraid of losing control of himself because he doesn't even KNOW what this part of himself IS and it feels like the responsibility for dealing with this is falling...on him and Amitie? For some reason? Because let's be real: what have Accord and Lemres and anyone else who would understand his situation even done for him. YES he should be asking for help, obviously, but no one has actually helped him to understand what he IS and what is "WRONG" with him. How WOULD he know how to ask for help?

And this could be interesting if it was actually approached with the appropriate level of tragedy, and if there was a contrast drawn between the Other Sig who has been suppressed and has grown resentful because of this, versus Aya who doesn't want to exact revenge and instead wants a return to her definition of normalcy...they're also at odds in terms of their end goals, which is really, really, REALLY interesting to me! but this current direction kind of sucks and just tiptoes around these obvious compelling storytelling decisions to make a story that just ends up feeling hollow.

[klug]

Squares is amazing for being one of the most complex characters in Puyo and then his name is. Squares.

okay honestly the watcher siblings just are complex together, but i love how they stand as really good characters on their own. I know people hate the plot twist of Squares being emotionally immature but IDK I think it’s interesting how Marle is also emotionally immature and she wanted a friend without like, putting in the work necessary to keep a friend. Marle spent so long watching humans from the outside that she didn’t realize there was so much going on in their inner lives. And Squares was just kind of a convenient presence for her and she didn’t realize the amount of communication and work needed to actually maintain a relationship.

She wasn’t able to fulfill his needs as her older sister and because he didn’t know anything else, Squares was sent into this like moral dilemma and Spiralling because of that it’s just... good writing. the way they were both fundamentally unequipped to be friends and then like learning from that

[klug]

lemres, and rafially, for the ask memes you rb'd last night

Lemres

Sexuality Headcanon: Not sure honestly! Gender Headcanon: I've been seeing transfem Lemres floating around lately and I kind of love it especially considering his backstory A ship I have with said character: I do not...have one this is very funny. he's just kind of hanging out. A BROTP I have with said character: Lemres and Aya :)))))) For headcanon reasons A NOTP I have with said character: Lemres/Accord because that's. A thing in some circles. Not only do I not vibe with it for personal HC reasons but just their relationship still feels very teacher/student A random headcanon: Related to above: Him and Accord are distantly related and share the same ancestor. There's a lot of bad blood between her family and his, but he feels like she understands him better than his own family does and she offered him a safe space when he was in the process of getting away from his parents. Lemres is an only child so he didn't really have people to rely on but he met Accord at a big family meeting and he started to secretly see her to vent about his home life and not wanting to be a dark magician anymore lol General Opinion over said character: Overrated but I still have a soft spot for him, I wish people wouldn't insist that he's extremely deep/well-written when I think a part of Lem's character is him trying to kind of escape that spotlight. (wow a lot of puyo characters really just wanna be normal huh)

RafiAlly/AllySol

describe their canon relationship/dynamic

In canon there probably is not much unless you squint. I know Ally is a cardboard box to most people but I think her philosophy on love and how she still extends her friendship/affection to Rafisol in spite of how Rafisol hurt her is really important... Especially since Rafisol is pretty fatalistic and can't perceive herself as being capable of loving or receiving love because of what she was "designed" to do. It's not necessarily romantic and while I lean towards romantic interpretations of Ally/Rafisol I think they also make great platonic partners lol

your ideal/headcanon version of it? how does it differ from how it is in canon & why is this your favorite version? any other alternate versions of it you enjoy?

LOL well. My headcanons for puyo always go off the walls but I prefer thinking of Ally as being someone who also struggles to understand love and feels a bit out of place because she's never really had friends. Tying in the whole idea that Ally was the original hero of the book she was in, I think there's a disconnect Ally feels towards herself and like other inhabitants of her world that she's never really been able to explain that only became larger after Satan rewrote her story to fit his needs... Conversely I haven't though much about Rafisol's past or why she was born from the pendant of luwa, I think because I don't think that's necessarily important for Ally to know or forgive because that's in Rafisol's past and Rafisol in the present now is trying to learn how to exist outside of the "purpose" she believes she was given... I really like thinking of Ally delving more into her philosophies of love and why that matters to her as a hero, even if she doesn't realize it herself, and Rafisol learning about accepting it and learning that it's a two-way street that involves both parties giving/receiving soemthing from each other. I don't really know any other versions besides my own, lol, I don't see many people shipping them together (I see more people insisting they're canonically related which? confuses me.)

what do you like about their relationship, why is it interesting or enjoyable to you?

I like Rafisol. I like Ally. I think it's enough for me to just Like them and want to do something with them. I think they were underutilized in their games, and I'm mad constantly that chronicle did not have a proper writing team. Rafisol's an interesting villain and god I've been through so many fantasy scenarios in my head where I rewrite chronicle's plot and give it more meat, because I think they deserve it. Anyway I think also the whole idea of becoming human and connecting to others is just soemthing that innately appeals to me (looks at Aya) so I got really invested in their relationship following Rafisol's master quest

what about the individual characters involved? what does this relationship mean to them, what makes it unique among their relationships?

I think for Rafisol specifically Ally is like, just something she never imagined could happen to her since she's spent her entire life assuming and believing she was evil and only designed to destroy things to sustain her existence. For Ally I think Rafisol is someone that can finally be a companion to her on her adventures and

favorite interaction they have in canon

That one Valentine PPQ manzai I helped to TL where Rafisol's wondering what love means to her and she just, remembers all the different Ally alts talking about love. And freaking out because she still doesn't get it.

favorite interaction they have in your head/a situation you want to put them in

Really want to work on my rewrite where Rafisol is a more active antagonist that uses the power of the villages' stars to try and break free of the fictional confines of their storybook and get into the real world where she can destroy things LOL. This is probably a bit of a spin on Septem on Dies (the latter specifically) from Arle no Bouken but I think chronicle was a weird half-reference to that game anyway. I think Ally being more explicit about remembering she's the hero would also be cool, since that seems to have gone over most people's heads and it bothers me. A lot. Anyway in this scenario they have a slightly more dramatic confrontation than the one in game. (Playing around w/ the idea that Ally sealed herself within the book alongside Rafisol to protect the world and how Satan's rewrite weakened the seal... but I feel like that might be...drawing too much from my personal interests?)

[klug]

I was talking about magic systems on twitter and how mahixian (a personal oc project) is heavily based on my interpretation of puyo puyo’s magic system, specifically the one in primp/that specific world with a lot of tweaks mostly to fit in the theme of mahixian.

anyway my interpretation of primp’s magic system is that magic tends to be genetic. people who can’t cast magic well (i.e. raffina) don’t have something wrong with their inherent affinity, that is completely intact, but something is wrong with the channels used to turn magic into an external energy.

the “elements” of the system are arranged in a spectrum not unlike a color wheel and magic that is “adjacent” to your affinity is much easier to learn and causes less physical strain on your body than magic that is “opposite” or “complementary” to your affinity causes much more strain and can be physically/mentally draining (lemres is the best example of this)

this system doesn’t apply to suzuran or the madou characters’ world. they all function on different elemental systems  but all require the same “energy” that can be gained from popping puyo

[klug]

klug and/or rafisol for character bingo

I will do both because I love getting a chance to scream about both of them.

Klug

I would've put "actively dislike" as a joke but I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Anyway yeah kind of wasted potential. I don't really think it's as bad as other characters because he kiiiind of has an arc? But there's so much you could do with him and Aya that isn't explored, or is just subtext and it makes me sad. He's a really funny character for being like contradictory to other people but he def. has his own weird internal logic that he follows, and as long as those are followed, then things are fine for him LOL. I think most fan interpretations are kind of boring unfortunately because I think they tend to downplay his flaws and I wish there was more exploration of that haha

And it goes without saying I've been insane about Klug for the past.........................................................6-7 years? Ish? it's fine really I'm normal about it of course. but I think of all the IDs for me to get stuck with I can't believe it's this one.

Rafisol

Okay Klug was kind of wasted potential, but Rafisol is nothing but wasted potential. In the first place because it took so long for the game to be translated people think that she's literally a mirror-world version of Ally which like, definitely is not what she is, she's her own person, so that's why I think she's been done dirty by the fans. I feel like people are afraid to explore her relationship with Ally (platonically or romantically) because of that misconception so it'sa bit upsetting to me.

It's also sad that like in the game immediately after hers she got outdone by Squares (and Marle i guess? People either hate or love Marle for weird reasons. idk) as an antagonist and in terms of writing complexity.... anyway if she was just foreshadowed earlier on in the story she could've been really good, there's a lot of interesting stuff that could be done with Rafisol's concept.

[klug]

honestly I wonder why people aren’t better at suspending their belief for a children’s puzzle game. this is coming from the guy who has spent the last 4-5 years of eir life thinking about said puzzle game. after constant “the timeline doesn’t make sense” and the like, maybe it’s because the writers don’t think...it’s necessarily important to understanding the story

like yeah laziness and project mismanagement are probably a Decent part of that but the timeline of the games at least is...genuinely not that confusing. they’re continuous in order of release. there is no such thing as a “non-canon” game either

[klug]

Actually to expand on the last point, the dream story in Puyo Puyo Tetris was the last time we saw Klug and the crimson spirit talking directly to each other. So I think in the waking world, the crimson spirits communication is limited to mostly being passive influence but they can speak directly in dreams

I think whenever people talk about Klug's memories of being possessed being inconsistent, I feel like it's not as weird as they think. he's brushed it off as a one time thing that he did on purpose ( fever 2) and has proceeded to act like he has the tome under control when it has possessed him several times afterwards.

I think this can be explained by Klug either being in denial and brushing it off as just, nothing, he's making excuses or he is aware but isn't completely 100% sure if this is what is happening. We've known that the crimson spirit can passively influence Klug's actions and thoughts (Drama CD volume 7 and Puyo Puyo Quest main story) but I think Klug's memories of being possessed are not always super clear (Puyo Chronicle Drama CD and Drama CD volume 2) so he doesn't actually think anything is wrong

The dream stories in Puyo Puyo Tetris are probably operating on a different logic.

[klug]

Klug mistaking the "feelings for his own" in Puyo Puyo!! Quest is actually established in an early drama CD... Unfortunately there aren't any uploads for it online but I've listened to it and I wrote this entry on the wiki for Volume 8.

(Wow this needs updating... guess I'll do that after I write this reply). In this drama track Amitie and Lidelle are going around Primp and introducing the listener to all the different locations. They come to the ruins, where Klug is and he felt "called" there for some reason even though he doesn't actually remember walking there. When Amitie and Lidelle talk about going inside the ruins to explore, he suddenly gets possessed and the crimson spirit tells the two girls to go away and not enter the ruins. I refer to this as the crimson spirit "passively influencing" Klug from inside the Tome of Sealing, so it's actually been established for quite some time and I like that it was used again in Puyo Puyo!! Quest.

I said I wouldn't tread into headcanon/interpretation territory but as for whether or not Klug remembers things, I do have a few crackpot theories, namely that being sealed inside the Tome of Sealing feels a bit like a dream. The memories are kind of there but you're not entirely sure what happened. It's a little hazy. So this is why Klug and the crimson spirit are able to verbally communicate in the Puyo Puyo Tetris chapter that takes place in a dream. I also think that's why, on top of everything happening to Sig, the crimson spirit is a lot more "noticeable" and difficult to ignore in Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop.

I think as for whether or not Klug can communicate to people when he's sealed in the tome... I think it's very much restricted to whoever is holding onto it at that given time. So if the crimson spirit never gives the book to anyone, Klug can't actually communicate somehow, which is why generally people don't really notice anything I guess.

*grips Klug by the shoulders* what is going on with you in this game

I really thought I had it all figured out in my last post, where I determined that Klug is still very much aware of the demon in his book, and that it has some sort of connection to Sig. I even thought it was safe to assume that he still remembered being possessed by it back in Fever 2, because it was the only time it happened where he wasn't confused afterwards.

But then that scene in Schezo's story happened and I have so many more questions. Because this really sounds like someone who doesn't even know that there's anything IN that book?? Which he very obviously does???

I'm not even talking about previous games at this point, because there's been weirder cases of amnesia in this series before; Klug repressing the knowledge he has of his book isn't a farfetched idea. But the problem with it is that this is the only scene (so far) where he's this clueless, and it happens later in the timeline than this one in Risukuma's story (if I've been tracking it right):

Klug's reactions here when Risukuma seems to be on the trail of What's Weird About the Book are absolutely about him wanting to keep Ayashii (whatever he remembers about it) a secret. I mean, would he really be that nervous if all he thought he was going to say was "it's got powerful magic inside of it"? He never really tries to hide that part, seeing as he casts spells with it.

It's even less obvious where in the timeline Accord's conversation with him happens, but he directly references "the tome" being ill at ease, once again suggesting that he at least sort of knows what its deal is. Plus, he says this to his teacher, so the idea that his book has feelings isn't even something he's

And lest we forget, he even gets in an argument with it off-screen. What's up with this "how can a book be fussy" nonsense?? He's not even saying it to cover up Ayashii's existence to other people, he's saying it to himself.

What changed? Is this just some accidental inconsistency, or should we be expecting a scene in a future update to explain it?? I'm losing my marbles over here