#Rihto Matsunaga

[lunarstormsart]

Welp. I'm still stuck on what to post first due to...I dunno, a 20+ year worth of backlog so the decision paralysis is real LOL

So, to ease into things I'm gonna pinch an old OC meme I did back in 2017 from the DeviantArt days. Yes, it's old as balls but the blorbos are very much relevant and that you'll see regularly on this blog. Let's fucking gooooo

Your Persona!

Your character that represents you!

I've never had a "persona" or anything, but if I were to choose someone to represent me, that would one of my Naruto OCs, Hikawa Shinkirou. I've had him since 2010 and he's very near and dear to me due to the hardwork and intricacies that I put into his story, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I realized that I really related to Shin. Being cut off from emotion, at risk of being destructive, affecting those around and keeping them away due to it. It just really hit close to home when I was struggling with my own expression of emotions back then, and I grew closer to him after that.

And then came the healing.

When I started to heal, coincidentally that was when we were talking more and more about their Part II, when he finally receives his own healing. Expressing his emotions, accepting them, not fearing them or himself. He obtains all of these things, and with them he finds the determination and passion to be able to go after what, and who, he has wanted all along. That's very symbolic to me, and I'm proud of us both.

Your 'Guardian Angel'!

You protect yourself through them, vent through them etc, they keep you strong. You probably have a deep emotional connection with this character.

Okay, he would literally be the shittiest Guardian Angel, but this position undoubtedly goes to the main character to one of my stories, Zenchi Tanren. At the time (2010) I never thought I'd really ever have a "vent" character due to wanting to make my characters separate from myself, but that all changed after made this kid, especially his development from then on. I've gone through a lot with this peanutbutter child, from using his story to express the personal pain of crushing guilt and self-hatred to establishing a happy ending for him that is filled with forgiveness, acceptance, and the chance to start over.

Like for my fiancee who owns his counterpart/love interest, Tan was a go-to character of mine for roleplay and art, and I put my absolute all into him. He, too, was the first that I really worked my hardest on compared to the mains of my other stories, and he was the first ever that I allowed myself to actually live through in order to, well, keep myself happy and safe in my darkest moments. It's been a few years since I've given him proper attention due to switching the focus over to my girlfriend's lovely stories, but he will forever remain significant to me.

Your Sunshine!

A character that never fails to make you smile. Maybe they have bright colors. Or maybe they are very cute. A character who's your own personal sun.

That, my friends, would be Matsunaga Rihto, the World's Biggest Texas Cinnamonroll.™ He's my main character from one of wrenandpaper's stories, which is a lovely slice of life that centers around her protagonist and the academy that they attend—where introversion and extroversion are interestingly a prime theme and divides the students into those factions to cater to their personalized needs.

Although he is one of the most popular attendees there, he is incredibly pure-hearted despite the internal struggles that he faces. Also, since I don't have severe anxiety nor have ever really experienced it to such extreme levels I had never given that to any of my characters until I created Rihto, and man, do I feel it secondhand whenever I'm doing anything with him.

I really relate to his overthinking and intrusive/deprecating thoughts, but in spite of what those thoughts are constantly telling him he's always trying his best and it just makes me really happy every time I think about him!

The Odd One!

The oddball character you're not sure why you have, but you treasure them deeply. Perhaps because they're just so weird?

It took me ages to figure out who to put here, but after a little help from the gf I decided to go with a character from one of my stories, Eguchi Funato. At the beginning he was never apart of the original plan for the story, I created him—while Wren created his best friend/love interest, Hayase—on the fly due to some inspiration from a UK show called Skins, but now, I absolutely adore him.

Fufu's so devoted and self-sacrificial despite some of his own shit that he has to deal with, and honestly, him and Hayase's story together is so beautifully tragic I love it so much. I never thought I'd get so attached to him, but Fufu is definitely one of my top favorites from that story.

The One of Sentimental Value!

Okay, now who has the most sentimental value? Maybe a character you received from a friend, or who you have fond memories of. Perhaps they're very old?

That would be Toshimitsu Miriamu, my main Naruto OC. I made her when I was about 13-14, and boy, has she gone through a lot. From originally being a self-insert Final Fantasy character, to more of a separate universal character when I was introduced to anime, to being an official Naruto original character. She's undergone a lot of changes throughout the years and although my attachment has wavered during certain hard points in my life, Miri has become a very precious part of my creative world.

Those edits (yes, kids, back in the day screenshot edits and bases were a huge thing in the OC/FCverse, and that was my prime medium at the time outside of traditional) on the right probably took me a whole day or two with my old program when I was younger, whereas the left piece took me only a few hours. I'm so proud to see how far she has grown and developed, and proud of myself for sticking with her, I'm excited to find out what the future holds for her! 💜

The Fancy One!

Your flashiest character! Probably the prettiest one or the one with the fanciest design.

This also took me a while to decide since I typically go with more casual/simple designs for my characters, but after a certain darling of mine puffed up and let her wrath rain down, I hurriedly went with one of my RWBY OCs, Eris Spindel!

I know the whole "gothic-lolita" thing isn't anything new, but it was new to me and from her style down to her physical condition she is probably one of the greatest detailed characters that I have—if not the most. Her design came out exactly how I pictured it and I'm just really super proud of her! I love my fancy, badass daughter!

The Rare One!

'The rarity'. How about a character you're so surprised you actually managed to get. You probably won't be letting go of them anytime soon!

Another one that took forever to decide fghjkl since any character that I create usually has purpose! But, after my dear elaborated the various ways that this rarity could mean, I settled on another character from one of her stories, Matsunaga Ryoto, who also happens to be Rihto's older brother!

I didn't think I'd get that invested in him since he was simply intended as an antagonist at the beginning—and still is mostly, but then y'know, even more development happened—but now I really enjoy him.

I chose Ryoto because he was the first psychologically driven/complex character that I had made in a few years since my own stories before switching over to focus on the wife's. I just find him really interesting, and I love his growth as a character. Also, I'm kinda proud of his design and his stupid hair that I somehow managed to achieve!! So yeah, I think that makes him a rarity! He'd think so too, as someone with inflated self-importance and ego would.

The Fandom Character!

You heard me! Everyone's got one, fork them over!

Well I mean...you've already seen a few, but I'll give you another! I typically focus on my own original story characters, but from the very limited fandoms that I treasure I have a ton of characters in them! Sooo, I had a lot to choose from, but in the end I decided to go with one of my fairly recent Naruto OCs, Mizuno Tsutsuji!

I...made her half on sheer impulse and half with purpose but I really, really like her! I'm really proud of Tsuji's design and creating her has helped me revamp and solidify one of my oldest clans—which includes the other older characters connected to it as well. She started a chain reaction! So, yeah, I'm excited for her, and her love interest's, development!

The Newbie!

Okay who just joined your family of characters? Let's see them!

Like my girlfriend, I have a handful of characters at the time that were in early stages of development, but Zarah was probably the most established out of all of them! Once again, she's a character from one of the beautiful stories that Wren's working on, and a member of the main group even if she's mainly concerned about her counterpart. She's down atrocious, your honor.

The amount of characters that I have with pink hair are close to none, so it was interesting having that color as a requirement to her concept, and, it looks really good with her other colors! I'm just really happy with her design and excited for her development when that comes around!

And there you have it! Some things have changed since then in terms of art style and many more characters having been added to the OC roster, but some has stayed just as they are. I hope you've enjoyed this little walk down memory lane with me and getting to know some of my babies!

[clockworkdimensions]

so i have a question for Lunar Storms Studio - are Tanren and Rihto related? Because it's very suspicious that they both have redhead older brothers and bronze hair (perhaps the illuminate is involve????) anyway i'm hoping they can both answer that question and also the question of how a sweet cinnamon and a LITERAL FUCKING WASTE OF HUMAN LIFE can be so similar SO YA thanks cholsea and thanks RihTan (otp) - from someone who absolutely isn't your girlfriend

Hello, Anon who totally isn’t my girlfriend, thank you for your question and interest in my characters! However, my business with the Illuminati isn’t your concern and I’d also appreciate it if you’d spell my name properly, please.Anyway, my boys will be more than happy to answer your questions!_____________________________________________________________

Q: Are Tanren and Rihto related?

Tanren: Hm? Masanori? I think Jin knows some Masanoris? *shrugs* As far as I’m aware, I’m not related to them.

Rihto: It’s actually Matsunaga…Uh, I think it’s simply coincidence, Anon! By looking at the history, I think Creator found Tanren and his brother’s colors by chance, while me and Ryoto’s colors were mutually discussed by her and her girlfriend. Since him and I are from said girlfriend’s original story, Creator wanted to follow her vision! _____________________________________________________________

Q: How can a sweet cinnamon and a LITERAL FUCKING WASTE OF HUMAN LIFE be so similar?

Tanren: That's fair. Tell me something I don’t know.

Rihto: Hey, that’s not very nice, Anon…I’m glad you see me s..so nicely, but I’m sure Tan’s a good person, too!  He’s been around longer than I have and is a part of an important piece in both Creator and her girlfriend’s lives, and I’m proud to be a successor in this new piece of their lives! Honestly, I think it’s kinda cool that we share some things in common!

Tanren:…What the hell.