#This friggin brick can't handle anything nowadays

[zero-ek]

A little ramble on Magireco's EoS

I genuinely do not remember how i did i ever got into Magireco, i do know it was before the NA version came and went, and i do recall being there for i think 2 or 3 annis, but apart from that i have absolutely no clue how that game ever came into my life.

Something that i do know, though, is that before, and even during some of my time with Magireco, i was always a lurker through and through, like, i wasn't very much into participating on fandom or even just talking about stuff i like into the void like i usually do now.

And to be honest that hasn't really gone away, like for example, i love Symphogear, it's a very dear show to me, but looking at my blog and Twitter, i never even mentioned it or engaged with the fandom once. I grew up with Nanoha and Kancolle and Sailor Moon, they're some of my favorite media ever, i pretty much never talk about them, i fell in love with Revue Starlight recently and never mentioned it again. I got a whole bunch of other examples but you get the gist of it.

The point i want to get at is that Magireco was probably the first time that i ever felt comfortable being active in a fandom, like, talking to people, being into art and writings and fanfics and all of that. Not only that, but Magireco was the first time that i felt compelled to contribute something of my own. I decided to translate some stuff whenever i could, definitely not as much as i wanted to, but the thing is i think that was the first time i worked on translations purely out of love for a fandom, out of wanting to get it out there more (i was in a couple translation teams and whatnot in the past, but i never really had that drive). And even now that's still something i'm inspired by for the other fandoms i'm in, like, i have a whole second blog for translations now, simply in the spirit of "hey this is really cool i think more people should see it."

I actually stopped playing the game itself a good while ago, i'm a casual all the way when it comes to games, and it's just the sad reality that casuals are the sworn enemies of any gacha game, having to choose between paying money or ceaseless grinding is simply beyond me. But even after leaving the game behind, i still decided to stay around the community, not only because i was still very intrigued by the story and where it would go, but also because by that point i was already so attached to Magireco as a whole. Plus y'know, there's always that one select group of people who make incredible art and writings and stuff that you grow very fond of and just can't let go (if you're reading this and happens to be one of those people whose notifs i live in, hi! Sorry for annoying you, but i love your posts!).

So y'know, even though i haven't actually played the game in years by this point, it still seriously shocked me to hear about the EoS, though to be fair it was finals week and something else happened, so there was a bit of that nervousness mixed in there, but still, it's just been in my head this whole time. I do know that like, people have been talking about it being a possibility here and there for a while, and i have to be honest with you, i loved Puella Historia, but with how seemingly definitive the closing of Arc 2 was, i couldn't see it as enough to launch a new storyline or serve as the game's driving force for an extended period of time (i thought Scene 0 would be that, given how it was marketed as this huge deal, and i do think that it was an attempt to try and reel more people into the game, thus the focus on the Holy Quintet).

I guess what i'm trying to say is that i do know that some people saw it coming, and i can't deny that even i felt that way a bit, but i don't know, it's always still so hard hitting to have that be confirmed outright, to know for a fact that something you loved ended, or will end soon. I suppose because it takes away the deniability you get with like rumours or omens, there isn't any "maybes" to cling to, it's over and you just gotta deal with it whether you like it or not, and that is never an easy thing to go through, i mean ask me from this January, she would know.

But in the face of that, the thought that i found comfort in, and why after the shock settled, i feel strangely okay with it right now, is that i'm much more happy to have been part of this fandom, that it was my first proper community experience. I know that i'm only in like a corner of it right now, and god knows it's hardly the most perfect fandom out there, but i still loved it, i loved reading through all of the stories, i loved the fanart and the writings and all the cool fanwork people have put out, i loved not just seeing the discussions, but actually talking to, and somewhat getting to know the people in the community, and i'm very happy that i got to contribute a little bit myself, i just had an all around great time being here these past couple of years.

For my first fully fledged fandom experience, i feel incredibly fulfilled, even now, i truly mean it when i say that Magireco is the best community i've ever been a part of. EoS be damned, i just don't see myself letting go of it anytime soon

I'll stick around for as long as this fandom breathes.