Hi, sorry to come into this post so late, but I saw the "Marx is canonically a child" post in the tags and felt I ought to say something.
Apologies but I did look through your blog just enough to see where you had received this information and wanted to address a few points.
(Sorry to put you in the spotlight like this when you're having a tough time!)
First, as someone who lives and works in Japan and has studied the language for two decades, "ko" (ĺ) is NOT a guaranteed indicator of someone being a minor. It can be used in a variety of circumstances, such as when one knew another as a child (like a parent, referring to a known grown adult) or in a narrative sense, such as when someone is small or cute (like Marx is) or in need of protection, regardless of age.
And it particularly does not indicate that person is a child in the context we see it used with Marx in the Music Fest, "itazura-ko" (ćŞćŻĺ) which refers to a trope - "bully/prankster" rather than an age.
Secondly, to address the Dreamy Gear stuff, it was a chimney sweep's APPRENTICES, specifically the "climbing boys" who were children.
If Marx is traveling on his own the implication is that he is a MASTER SWEEP rather than a child apprentice. (Whether or not he goes up and down the chimneys. Climbing boys were essentially slaves to their masters - tragically - and reliant on them for everything.)
This whole thing is technically my fault because the original summary DID imply he was a master sweep via the word "sugoude" (ĺč
) that I left off because...well, I was in a hurry to break the news to everyone.
(Also, if piloting a ship is a sign of being an adult, then Kirby would be an adult in the Dreamy Gear novels because he also pilots a ship.)
Lastly, I want to end this by saying that the Japnese staff has gone to EXTREME efforts to keep information about the cast's canon age, gender, and relationships vague on purpose. (If you're a Jamba fan, you'll know this all too well regarding things like how the mages and Hyness all see each other.) I understand that this vagueness might be frustrating to people who want clear boundaries, to know who is and isn't a kid, to know who is or isn't related to another character, but this is not something to be afraid of but something to celebrate and to take advantage of. It is meant to inspire creativity, so that everyone, in every situation, can see a bit of themselves in Kirby and friends!
It also means you cannot do wrong when writing up stories and HC with the Kirby cast.  So please, don't fear that you're a bad person who ships bad things. Trust what your heart tells you about the characters and enjoy the things that make you happy, please? đ
I know that is what Kirby would want!
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