Congratulations, Progress!

Years ago, I failed to do something very important and I've not been happy about it since. As many of you know, I completely neglected to write a congratulations thread for Obsession, and some of you think I did it purposefully. Instead of simply denying it, I told myself I'd put my money where my mouth is and do three things.

1. Screw Tokiyo, I'd be writing the next one when the time came!
2. See number one.
3. Do it within 24 hours of the request being approved.

This brings us to today, November 15th, 2016. This is nearly seven years after Bleach Gotei initially opened on the Forumsmotion board that I originally joined, and even longer if you count past interations on boards before that. As far as I know, Artix von Creg -- more recently known as Obsession and Erasmus Mei -- has been played at at least since then. If that isn't a 'wew lad' moment, I don't know what is!

Seven years with the same character is something I can hardly imagine.

To many of you, that's just a number. To people like me, it's an incredibly dense period of time where Bleach Gotei evolved rapidly and grew into a community with nearly 300,000 posts. For those who don't know, much of its continued existence is owed to the man of the hour himself, who stood up when no one else would, to take on a job that few even want to consider having for themselves. Artix's journey as a player, a man, a writer, and with his character, is perhaps the single richest in Bleach Gotei history.

He also started our Spiderman Thread meme! What more can you ask for out of a single person?

But, now, let's add some perspective.

When I first joined, Artix von Creg was Captain of the Fifth, being experimented upon by Central 46. This would eventually lead to the Hollowification Virus -- whose latest "victim", I believe, was Nagisa! -- and the creation of two Vaizards: Artix himself and Satine Purpureo.

I want you to stop and think about that. Artix became a Vaizard so long ago that Central 46 was still around! Hell, the man probably remembers when Central 46 had playable "ranks", one of which was given raw power, in the form of Stat Points (not GP), equal to the Captain Commander!

Following that, there was his absence for about a year or so. But this man, better than I for not relying on careful and strict plans to tell his stories, honestly doesn't know how to not make a good entrance. One of his first acts after returning was to walk into Las Noches and punch Truth right in the face for his part in the death of Artix's sister, Rose.

Yeah, that's right.

He decked a Transcendental in the middle of his own castle.

What did you do today?

That really brings me to what I feel makes Artix's journey truly phenomenal. It's not because it was perfect and it's not because of how well-planned it was because it wasn't actually any of those things. Mistakes were made, things changed frequently and drastically, but there's one thing that shines above all of that.

No matter what was going on, he did his best to play his character as truly as he could. He always did his best, his very best, to do what his character would do. Whether this involved becoming an Arrancar, then the Primera Espada, or becoming a Broken Transcendental and then a King after that, it was all because that's what he thought his character would do. Even taking the Mei name, perfectly in rhythm with the themes of family that were prevalent throughout Artix's story. Every mistake, every unexpected turn, only made this story that much more incredible.

I've frequently said that there's a difference between being a good player and a good writer. Artix is one of our better writers, hands down, but he is absolutely, and without a doubt, one of the greatest players we've ever had. To play his character so consistently, no matter where it took him, and to roll with all of the punches and changes? That takes courage, dedication, and imagination so rare to find in a single player. If you're new and reading this, or even if you're a veteran looking to improve, I encourage you to look to Artix as an example of the kind of player you want to aspire to be.

I've seen characters fizzle out after going through one-third of what has happened to Artix, but he thrived on it.

Everything about this journey, from Captaincy to Kingship, has been a thesis on the fun you can have on Bleach Gotei. You don't need to meticulously plan everything you do with your character and, in fact, you shouldn't. When you do, you close yourself off from all of the adventures that Artix has gotten to have with an absolutely immense number of different players throughout Bleach Gotei's history. And despite that, he stands here at the absolute peak of what a single character's story can achieve with us. He's an icon, a household name, and one that will be around for a very, very long time.

Above perhaps all others, no story has had more character than that of Artix von Creg, Erasmus Mei, Obsession. No story has touched more themes, or colored more characters, or gone to as many places, in its journey to the end.

Every Transcendental character tends to have something all their own that they can claim they achieved, and this one belongs to the newest -- and long overdue -- addition to that list.

Two years ago, I would neve have predicted this day would come. Now, I gleefully eat my words as yet another character successfully completes their story.

So, with no further adieu, it is my honor, my privilege, to make an introduction and present this award.

Congratulations, Progress!

You are the Sixth Transcendental!