#su future is something really…unusual and special

[linkemon]

Genos (selfship)

Selfship was made for Sus-Chan on Wattpad.

You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you’re interested. Other selfships can be found here.

× Being a category A hero was an everyday occurrence for you. It was hard not to hear about the exploits of Saitama and Genos at work. However, you didn't feel brave enough to initiate any attempts at contact with either of them.

× That all changed when you were reading a flyer about a great sale at the supermarket one day. The bald hero approached you and spoke to you with great interest. At first you didn't recognize him at all. It wasn't until his apprentice joined you a moment later that you realized who you were dealing with.

× Mentor arranged to meet you in a long line at the store. You were supposed to take turns but in the end he ran off somewhere because he saw a sale on rice and you stayed with Genos.

× To say he was stiff would be an understatement. Your silence didn't help. You stood there silently for a long time until a monster appeared on the horizon. There was no time to waste. You decided to help the civilians.

× Your wolf power awakens partly animal instincts in you. It also made you much bolder than in everyday life. During the fight, you complemented the cyborg perfectly. Together, you helped the city before Saitama dealt with the opponent with his fist.

× Since then, you started training together. Mainly because the bald hero was tired of his student and so he recommended that he get rid of him for a while. You considered it a valuable opportunity and that's how you spent your days together.

× The people at the agency were amazed that you were spending time together. You once overheard a conversation between Genos and another hero, who said that you always seemed cold and emotionless to him. The robot denied it in a calm voice, starting to list your advantages. You felt incredibly happy that he stood up for you.

× Since then, you've started to see him a little differently. Shortly after, you asked him out on a date. He wasn't entirely sure whether to agree. As a not so human being, he wouldn't want to give you unnecessary hope because he's not entirely sure what he feels. He likes you a lot but a future with him will certainly mean a lot of sacrifices and unusual things. However, you told him that you wanted to try it and took him out for ramen.

× Genos is new to all things when it comes to dating. You didn't have much experience either. You're starting from scratch, watching other couples, asking friends and looking for information. But that makes your relationship all the more special.

× You do a lot of everyday things together. A lot of your time is taken up by the two of you dealing with ordinary life problems. You've been paying bills together lately and Saitama suggested that you move in with them since you're there all the time anyway (he wants to squeeze rent money out of you, of course). You're actually considering it.

× You go to all the promotions and sales whether you want to or not. Collecting coupons, loyalty cards and stickers is your daily bread.

× You learn to cook. It often turns out that the food products you buy don't go together at all and then you have to improvise. You recently spat overly salted soup on a cyborg and were afraid he would short circuit.

× The loss of your parents was something that connected you and Genos very strongly. He had no problem talking about it with others but he usually just didn't consider it as useful information for others. So sharing some of your experiences from your youth related to it was refreshing for him. He believes that you understand him perfectly.

× Cyborg took you with him to one of Dr. Kuseno's check-ups. He's like a father to him and he really wanted you to meet him. You spent a nice afternoon in the old man's lab.

× Genos thinks you underestimate yourself. He encourages you to try to get into the S ranking instead of the A. He believes you deserve it more than many other people of that rank. He is very fixated on justice. He believes you embody it.

× You often put your boyfriend back together after various battles. You have instructions prepared so that you don't mess anything up. In return, he bandages your wounds.

× You're both very shy. For now, you've settled for holding hands and kissing each other on the cheek. You often do this before work right before each of you goes on patrol.

× You like quiet, shared breakfasts at sensei's house the most. The sun is just rising and Genos is preparing a meal. You join him to make sure it's edible. You secretly dream about what it would be like if he didn't stay at Saitama's house but at yours. For now, though, you're content with the fact that he wears your apron and the bowl of rice from the sale is tasty...

[jenny-dreadful]

.

[theproblemsofdonhi]

The HIghway through 2020

(A review of everything I

Read/watch/play in 2020)

Beaststars

Ah yes, the hurny furry anime. This one was a weird one cus I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started this show. I knew about a big wolf man and a small rabbit lady, and that was it. So, you can understand my surprise when the “almost blowjob” scene happened. I was shocked? Yes. Did I stopped watching just like I have done with so many animes less explicit than this one? No. Cus this one took the effort to MAKE CHARACTER before going horny, so I wanted to keep going FOR the character and their stories, not cus sexy furry. That was just a plus to the rest of it.

JoJolion

I’ll say nothing other than, this is it. It is my favorite JOJO part.

But we are more than 100 chapters in and still no JoJo-lion so 0/10 fucking masterpiece.

She-ra

I don’t know what to say about this one really.

I mean, it’s good. This is a good show, and also has the medal of being the only DreamWorks 2D-show to not crash and burn cus of DreamWorks.

Go watch, it’s really gay or whatever.  

Resident evil 4

It's amazing that I have being in the world of videogames for more than 10 year now and I’ve never touch RE4, in fact the only RE game that I ever own was RE6... you know... the bad one. So, it’s even more impressive that this old ass game still holds up in 2020, and the only bad thing that it has, is that I didn’t play it sooner. What a good fucking game.

BNA

So, I don’t know if you know but, there is going to be a cyberpunk anime on Netflix in like 2022 made by studio trigger. So, wanting to see what the team was capable of, I checked their last work, BNA.

Aaaand it’s bad. To the point that if you take out the good animation, there is nothing to this anime. It has an interesting premise but, it does the minimum with it. To the point that when I got to the middle of it, the animal stuff wasn’t interesting anymore.

Also, the finale is terrible but I’m not going to talk about it, I’ll just say that my sister got so mad cus this show was treating her as she was stupid.

Mulan (2020)

This bad

People who were part of this bad

Disney fucking bad (and yes, I’m being totally unreasonable here cus I don’t like Disney as a company).

Also Go see jay’s video on Mulan (HERE). It's my favorite of all the reviews out there. Thats my recommendation of the day.

Kipo

this:

Amphibia

Season two it’s overall worst that season one. It's not BAD in any way but, I didn’t like it as much.

The Halloween special it’s top tier though.  

The last of us part 2

I didn’t play it. I watch it all. It's trash

Yakuza like a dragon

I didn’t play it. I watch it all. 10/10 game of the year.

Warframe

I played this thing for 300 hours. That's a good game. It never excited me ones.

Halo the master chief collection

Being able to play these games of my childhood, all together in one place really help me this year.

Black mesa

The fact that this exists, that the owner of the IP let them do it, and the team who made it can profit from it, it’s insane to me. Things like this just don’t happen. They are not supposed to exist, yet here we are.

Steven universe future

If you have followed me for some time, you may have noticed that around the airing of SUF was when I started to draw more about other shows and less steven universe content.

This was cus the end to the story that made me to the person I am today, wasn’t exactly of my liking. To put it simple... I didn’t think it was interesting and by the end I just wanted to be done already.

After that, I just stop thinking about SU for some time. Yes, there was some drawing here and there, but the passion I had before was gone.

That was until, i live it by myself. Without telling details, let's just say that I now have experience with the themes of steven universe future, so I decide to try it again.

And let me tell you...

I have never felt like a story was laughing at me, as this show did. By the end I felt sick to how childish mental illness could be portrayed.

I get what they were going for but men, they did one terrible job.

Before I have my problems with the plot and character, but this, this attacks me.

And I hated it.

.

.

.

.

.

Wow, after that I guess I need to end this on a more positive note, cus I also needed something more positive this year. 

And I got it.

From the most unusual of places, I watch a show with everything I love and more, in storytelling.

Without knowing, I started a six months adventure that took me from the simpler and fun of situations, to some of the saddest moments I have ever read. I experience friendship, brotherhood... I felt pain, lost. I did feel bad, but no matter what, at the tourn of those downer moments, there would a page of hope and happiness. There would be good food, stories to tell, song to sing, wisdom to pass down, and most important, a crew that were more than family.

And that's why after 6 months, I’m here, on the shores of Wano, alongside the pirates that waited for me.

So I thank you. For being there for me this year.

.

.

.

.

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Thank you, One Piece.

[dokidokivisual]

Gochiusa BLOOM episode 8 impressions

Previously: 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1

Here we go, the long awaited Rize episode is upon us. She’s been rather sidelined this season, aside from maybe the marathon episode with Chiya. But now it’s finally her time to shine!

I didn’t have much time to write this review, due to various circumstances, but I hope it’s still worth reading.

The episode opens with Rize waking up Cocoa while imitating Chino’s voice and manners, such as calling her Cocoa-san. This scene is reminiscent of the post-credits scene from season 1 episode 12, although it has been implied Chino wakes up Cocoa all the time. The rabbit Cocoa sleeps with has been given to her by Chino at the end of Dear My Sister OVA, but it was Rize who helped Chino make it.

Rize had a fight with her father about her wanting to become an elementary school teacher, and stayed over at Rabbit House. She seems to think neither her father nor even Cocoa and Chino take her seriously. To be fair, it kind of comes out of a left field. The justification for it (which is revealed later) is also rather silly, as Chimame aren’t even elementary schoolers. It’s interesting to see if the manga will ever get to the point where Rize is teaching a class because I don’t think there have been any elementary schools introduced yet or any character who attends or teaches in one.

Rize herself also has some doubts about it, since she worries she will come out as too strict (and called a ”demon sergeant”, which is a callback to Dear My Sister where she took command over Chimame-tai), although Rize has become considerably more gentle since the events of DMS. Cocoa volunteers to become Rize’s teacher to show her how it’s done, but ends up making Rize do all the work while she just lazes about.

By the way, the book Cocoa is reading in this scene is called “Caffeine Fighter” which was mentioned before as one of Aoyama’s works based on Sharo, and this is the first time we see (although in very low resolution) what the lead character is supposed to look like.

Chino takes over the job, although it seems she just wants help with her homework (the book is labeled as “Mathematics, 3rd grade of middle school” and this particular lesson concerns the quadratic function and its graph). Rize uses her rabbit stamp on Cocoa and then on Chino for solving their tasks, and finds out that it’s a very good motivation.

One thing that western viewers might overlook is the prevalence of stamps in the Japanese daily life. Instead of signing legally binding documents, you’re supposed to stamp it with an officially registered personal seal called hanko. Things like stamp rallies are popular and you can often get a visitor stamp in various temples and train stations. So the fact that Rize carries a stamp with herself at all times is not at all unusual.

Next, Rize’s signature dish, napolitan pasta, makes an appearance. In the episode 6 review I lamented that Rize’s pasta never showed up, but now we can finally see what it’s all about. By the way, despite its name, this dish is actually Japanese in origin, and was inspired by American military rations, which makes it quite fitting for Rize. Cocoa uses the Italian word buono to describe the pasta, which means “good”.

During the bathtime, the stamps easily wash off, so Rize gives Cocoa and Chino stamp cards, just like to Chiya in episode 5. Not aware of this, Cocoa and Chino think this signifies their special bond. However shortly after, Cocoa boasts about it to Chiya at school, and realizes that not only Chiya has it, but also Maya and Megu. In the manga Cocoa and Chino confront Rize about it directly after, but the anime sandwiches another chapter in between.

Like I mentioned in the episode preview, chapters 2 and 7 from the volume 6 of the manga share a similar theme of studying, so it’s not surprising they were unified into one episode. Interestingly the chapter 7 is titled “Sweet Skip Step” which shares with the title of the episode “Stamp, Sleep, Study, Smile” the pattern of words starting with the Japanese syllable ‘su’. Another episode sharing this property is season 2 episode 8 titled “Sneaking Stalking Stalker Story”.

This second part of the episode is more Chimame-focused, and brings up the concept of juku, or “cram school”, which are very widespread in Japan. This is a small private school that students visit after their public school classes in preparation for the exams. Of course the way it’s portrayed in the episode is just regular tutoring, so you wouldn’t know the difference.

Anyway, Cocoa has opened a juku in Rabbit House and is now sporting lab coat and glasses look. Megu attends the “school” and we learn that the reason why she wants to go to Rize’s school is because her mother went there too. Cocoa asks if that’s really her own decision, and we later learn Megu isn’t really sure about that. Immediately after, Megu’s phone rings notifying her that she needs to “transfer to another classroom”, and Rize’s comment implies that Cocoa hasn’t really even started teaching yet. In the manga there’s a 1 hour gap between the Cocoa/Megu conversation and her going to another class, and Megu thanks Cocoa for her lesson.

The next class is Japanese literature taught by Chiya (she calls it 国語 “national language” which implies that the show is really set in Japan, or at least a Japanese-speaking country). Megu is impressed by how seriously Chino takes her studies, and how she strives to excel both in school and at her job just like Chiya and other high school characters (it was previously mentioned that Chino’s grades aren’t very good). However Chiya gets distracted and decides to spy on Sharo, who is teaching Maya at the time. It seems Sharo’s house isn’t very soundproof at all and they easily get discovered.

Maya isn’t sure about being able to pass the scholarship student exam and asked Sharo to help her, as Sharo has also passed this exam in the past. Sharo is eating some strange foodstuff that I thought was onigiri, but looks more like a cookie wrapped in nori for some reason.

Anyway, Chimame get invited by Rize to “onsen pool” but they think Rize is going to scold them for not taking their studies seriously. Meanwhile Rize’s dad is calling Takahiro to make him convince Rize to come back. Apparently during the war, Takahiro’s skill was persuasion, while Rize’s dad’s special technique was rushing into action like Leeroy Jenkins.

The “onsen pool” which previously appeared twice in season 1 is largely based on hot spring baths of Budapest, which I had visited last year. This scene is used to develop Megu’s character, specifically her insecurities and sense of inferiority towards Chino and Maya. It doesn’t help that Maya and Chino are jealous of her body and call her fat. Then, Maya and Chino decide to compete in swimming, suggested by Chino, who in the manga almost drowned during a hiking trip and that was her motivation to get better at swimming. In the anime (season 2 episode 11) she didn’t really drown so she just says she likes swimming now for some reason.

Anyway, Megu can’t keep up with them (both metaphorically and literally) and this time drowns even in the anime adaptation. However this scene was also altered from the manga, in the manga it’s implied that Maya and Chino drag her out while Rize comes too late and Maya calls her slow. But in anime, Rize is the one who saves Megu and is roundly praised by Chimame-tai.

The next scene parallels the one from season 1 episode 10 where Chimame-tai name was officially established, after Rize outruns them to Rabbit House. This time Chimame already got used to the name (which means something like “blood blister” in Japanese), so they’re ok with being called this forever if they win.

When Rize comes back, Cocoa (who held a grudge for so long that you might’ve forgotten about it with how fast-paced this episode is) kabedons Rize and asks for explanation for the whole stamp card business. However it turns out to be just a prank and an excuse for Rize to have a home cooked dinner with everyone. Rize’s accomplishments in previous episodes are also brought up, and she gets another round of praise. And then everyone gets lots of stamps.

Rize gets a stamp too when she’s asleep. This scene was in general modified quite heavily compared to the manga, to better fit with the rest of the episode I guess. One scene that was cut was Cocoa and Chino discovering Rize’s notes about their food preferences and regular guests of Rabbit House. Also, the phone conversation between Rize’s dad and Takahiro was the last panel in this chapter so Rize’s situation with her dad was never resolved.

The anime adaptation does provide a resolution in the form of a cinematic car scene with a tense dialogue between Rize and her father. Cars are very rare in Gochiusa universe and the last time we saw one (season 2 episode 10) it also belonged to Rize’s family. Rize’s father is driving an Audi R8 with plate number TO-526, which might refer to his voice actor Touchi Hiroki who was born on May 26.

The car eventually stops on the bridge, which is basically a metaphor for reconciliation (i.e. “building bridges”) and the color scheme changes from red to blue, as Rize’s father eventually apologises to her and Rize gives him a stamp of approval. And so concludes the 8th episode of Gochiusa BLOOM, which finally gave Rize the recognition she deserves. I guess we’ll see if she can reach her goal of becoming a teacher in the future manga chapters. And there’s still four more BLOOM episodes to watch!

[katyatalks]

MP100 OVA Drama CD Track 3 - Episode 2: Going Shopping - English Translation

The MP100 OVA Drama CD, titled “The first spirits and such company trip; The other side of a journey that mends the heart and heals the soul and such” comes with the blu-ray/DVD, and is officially described as a compilation of 1) conversations from the day before the OVA itself & 2) exchanges that aren’t depicted in the OVA. More info here!

Here’s the translation of the third track, “Episode 2: Going Shopping”!

Characters: Serizawa, Reigen, Mob, Ritsu, Dimple

You can listen to this track from the masterlist!

-

MOB [As Narrator]

This second story is about a shopping trip that occurred while we were on our way to the hot springs.

[BGM: Train station noises. SFX: running]

SERIZAWA

Urgh...

REIGEN

Hurry, hurry! We’re gonna miss it!

[SFX: Train doors closing. Train horn, departure]

REIGEN

Damn it…

MOB

We messed up...

RITSU

Considering the location, I don’t think the next train will be for a while, nii-san...

SERIZAWA

The next train departing for Ibogami Village will be… in 58 minutes!

MOB

Amazing! You went that far taking notes.

DIMPLE

In 58 minutes… that’s not even enough time to do some sightseeing.

MOB

Dimple, since you can float anyway, you could just go on ahead?

DIMPLE

Well, that’s… I could do, but what’s a trip without companions?

REIGEN

What’s that, Dimple? Even though you’re an evil spirit, you’d feel lonely by yourself?

DIMPLE

Nope! We wouldn’t have missed the train had you not been taking a shit for so damn long! What the hell are we meant to do in this tiny space of time?

REIGEN

Heh! Listen up, everyone. Perhaps my stomach ache has landed us in this situation, but, you could also say it’s necessary that this has happened. 

MOB

Shishou, what’s this, all of a sudden?

RITSU

You’re talking as if us being stuck here is a good thing, but…

REIGEN

- The reason being, going on a trip is something that greatly resembles life itself. You can’t always be moving forward. Sometimes, it’s necessary to pause, look back at everything that brought you to where you are, and make preparations for the future!

DIMPLE

And? Your point?

REIGEN

Pausing en route to our destination… this pause means we can go shopping!

[BGM start, SFX: footsteps]

MOB

A local souvenir shop...

SERIZAWA

Ohh! There’s so much here!

RITSU

There’s not just souvenirs, there’s bento boxes and local specialty products.

REIGEN

Buy anything and as much as you’d like - we’re covering this in-house.

MOB, RITSU, DIMPLE

...huh?

REIGEN

...What’s with you guys? What’s with the “huh”?

MOB

I just… think this is unusual, is all.

RITSU

Reigen-san… are you alright?

DIMPLE

Nah, it’s clear he’s not alright in the head.

REIGEN

You’re all being rude! I’m always thinking of you all! I get you takoyaki, or ramen, or hamburgers, or…

MOB

That’s true, but…

DIMPLE

Those are all cheap, though, no?

REIGEN

Ah, shut up already! In any case, just buy whatever you want!

MOB

O-okay!

RITSU

Let’s go, nii-san?

MOB

Sure.

[SFX: footsteps]

MOB

Oh, these oyaki look delicious!

RITSU

There’s frozen satsumas over here, nii-san. I haven’t tried them yet!

MOB

What should I do? The oyaki look good, but… this ice cream would be good, too…

RITSU

Nii-san, you really love milk, don’t you? I think I’ll go for something safe… a Zebra Prefecture specialty two-tone onigiri.

SERIZAWA

I’ll go for the zebra-stripe soboro bento box.

DIMPLE

I wonder how this is? This zebra-stripe nori bento box? Well, it doesn’t matter if I eat or no, so whatever.

REIGEN

Oi, you guys! Come over here, there’s something I wanna show you.

[SFX: footsteps]

MOB

What, Shishou?

RITSU

Hmm? An extremely spicy habanero oyaki and a wasabi manjuu?

REIGEN

We can’t get these anywhere else, so they’ll add to our memories of this trip, no?

MOB

I’m sorry… I’m not great with spicy food.

RITSU

I’ll also pass.

REIGEN

Hmm… then how about it, Serizawa? 

SERIZAWA

A-ah?! But - I - I’m… (Thinking: What should I do…? If your boss recommends it, you shouldn’t turn it down… that’s what the manual said…)

DIMPLE

Stop it, Reigen, you could get sued for abusing your authority.

REIGEN

Then, what about this? Grasshopper mushipan, hornet larva sushi. 

MOB

Food made using insects is…

RITSU

Nope.

REIGEN

Ah, but is that really okay, guys? It’s times like these where you should be adventurous with your food choices! One of the best things about a trip is being able to savour the sensation of tasting things that you never have before! One of the reasons I invited you all along on this trip was because I wanted you to experience new things.

DIMPLE

Hmm? What’s this? There’s something written in front of the register.

REIGEN

Uh?!

[BGM ends]

DIMPLE

Hmm..? “If you buy 3 goods at our store, you’ll receive a special key holder featuring the mascot character of Zebra Prefecture, ‘two-tone-kun’.”

REIGEN

...Huuuuuh? Really, is that true...? Nah, I didn’t know that at all, hahaha…. hahaha… haha...

DIMPLE

Don’t tell me, Reigen… you wanted the keyholder?

REIGEN

I just SAID that I didn’t know! ...And even if I did, there’s no way I’d want something like that! ...Though, people who remember their experiences via trinkets definitely exist…

DIMPLE

Shigeo… must be tough, having a boss with bad taste.

RITSU

What did you buy, Reigen-san?

REIGEN

Ah? I went for the standard sansai bento, dango on skewers, and hot tea…

SERIZAWA

Oh! Looks delicious!

MOB

But what about the extremely spicy oyaki, or the wasabi manjuu?

REIGEN

No way, too spicy. I don’t even have wasabi with my sushi.

RITSU

And the grasshopper mushipan? Hornet larva sushi?

REIGEN

Too gross, no way.

DIMPLE

And there you were talking about having a food adventure.

[BGM start]

REIGEN

Excuse me! We’d like to pay.

[SFX: Till sound]

MOB [As Narrator]

And like that, we bought our bentos and snacks, and proceeded toward Ibogami onsen, but…

REIGEN

AHHHH!

DIMPLE

Damn, you’re so freaking loud! What?! Did you eat the spicy habanero oyaki?

REIGEN

No! I forgot to take the receipt …I’m such an IDIOT!

--

Track 1 (Intro) is here! 

Track 2 (Episode 1: Serizawa’s Preparation) is here!

Track 4 (Episode 3: Onsen) is here!

Track 5 (Episode 4: Dimple & The Local Spirit) is here!

Track 6 (Episode 5: Reigen’s Will) is here!

Track 7 (Episode 6: Ritsu Can’t Sleep) is here!

Track 8 (Episode 7: Breakfast) is here!

Track 9 (Outro) is here!

Crossposted on twitter here!

[somesandthings]

❤❤❤❤ THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! OMG, NOW 450 FOLLOWERS!!! ❤❤❤❤ 

Thanks for many things, sorry for so many ugly and horrible drawings. ;-; /

Now, what kind of special is this? Well, how I said before, I would make a surprise for you all who love LeeGaa so much like a beautiful OTP. And… What is it? GRAPHIC NOVELS (?) !!! YAY FHJDBHVJFDBJHB  All of them in spanish and english, if I can (?).

And, here we go~.

~~~~

❤❤❤❤ ¡¡¡MUCHAS GRACIAS!!! ¡¡¡OMG, CONIO, QUE YA SON 450 SEGUIDORES!!!❤❤❤❤ 

Muchas gracias por tanto, perdón por tan poco con puros dibuejos horribles y feos. ;-; /

Ahora, ¿qué clase de especial es este? Well, como lo dije antes en otro post, iba a hacerles una sorpresa a todos aquellos que aman el LeeGaa como una preciosa OTP. Y… ¿Qué es entonces? ¡NOVELAS GRÁFICAS! (?) YAY FHJDBVHJBFDJH Todas estarán en español e inglés, si es que puedo, no worry (?).

Y, weno, pos acá vamos~.

SweetRaccoon & RudeLeaf

—> Gaara has two jobs, one in a flower shop and the other in a coffee shop. Both sites are next to each other. He is a quiet and shy boy, he really possesses the same personality as Gaara being a child. Innocent and very kind. His favorite hobbies are taking pictures of all types of cacti found along the way.

On the other hand, Rock Lee is a boy who is passionate about motorcycles and martial arts. He is a lover of those machines, but he also has the desire to get to own his own dojo, and can teach martial art.

Lee began to frequent that cafe shop where was attracted to Gaara from the first moment. 

All the evolution to be together, and much more after that~.

Permanent

—> This story is based on an illustration made by Hikanon, specifically, this one here: https://hikanon1336.tumblr.com/post/159228213078/so-hot 

In this story, Gaako is a young woman who works in relation to politics, while Lee is a famous fighter of the UFC. 

One summer day, Gaako and Lee meet each other on a beach, on vacation. It has all been a matter of destiny, is not it? However, despite the attraction between the two, none say anything about it, but it feels in the air. How will you continue with the communication after that extraordinary meeting?

Btw, the illustration on the cover was inspired by this song and video (  Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp-EO5I60KA ). The lyrics are important, as are the two songs following that have some emotion linked to the story:

Bomba Estéreo - To My Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THBP1tq49wk

Bella - Wolfine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjuSfhYiup8

To hell with you… and wait for me

—> In youth, Gaara and Rock Lee were very good friends… Lee was in love with Gaara, and Gaara too… Well, it could be said that too, although he was not sure what was happening to him. However, for a long time, Yashamaru had some hope for Gaara to become a good priest in the future, although Gaara was not sure of that. Everything changed when Yashamaru died and Gaara decided to take his uncle’s wish to make it happen. Lee, meanwhile, didn’t agree with that decision, knowing that it would ruin what he wanted for both. For a long time, Lee tried to get Gaara’s attention and divert him from that path, but Gaara continued.

It should be noted that in this story, Lee has almost the same personality type as when he is twelve years old, that is, somewhat elevated in ego and very impulsive. So well, there will be a point where Lee fell into a strong torment, where he ended up making a horrible decision: sell his soul to the devil. He performed a ritual, he did everything, just hoping he could be with Gaara. Things went out of control, and now Lee is a soul that has in part a demon that leads him to do several crazy things, raising those impulses to great levels. Meanwhile, Lee’s body will be trapped in a remote place. Will there be a way to recover it? The truth is not known, but now he is tormenting Gaara, continuing his battle to get his attention.

Sinful

—> This is a version with Gaako. The difference? It was the decision of Gaako and her father. But Lee will not lose his body and neither will sell his soul to the devil, on the contrary, he ends up accidentally put in a curse by a strange object.

Lee is the blacksmith of the royal army and the inquisition. The accident occurs, and the demon begins to torment Lee to agree to unleash the power he has given to him. The demon tortures Lee with his love for Gaako, making the impure desires fill his head to seek out of control of himself.

Paradoja

—> Rock Lee was herited from a great fortune by his father, but things are not so simple. He has to know how to maintain the business relationships and friendships that his father had, having to surpass his personality with a hard, cold and difficult mask to deceive those interested in knocking down his power herited. One day, Lee makes the decision to make a purchase of dancers for private shows to strengthen relationships with old friends of his father, as usually. He needs something new, and that’s when he meets Gaako.

Gaako, on the other hand, was never there from the beginning, she was never “a slave from birth”, but she was kidnapped for that business. Could it be that with Lee things made easier or worse for her? Actually, Gaako doesn’t feel confident about anyone. Lee is trapped by her unusual beauty and never before seen by those territories, but he must gain her confidence.

The inspiration:  The Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7HahVwYpwo

And well, each new page (most likely I’ll upload two pages per novel update), I’ll upload it on this same platform, at least, until I find another way, but to be honest, I like it more here. I will arrange each story with its update with its corresponding hashtag, that way I will also add previous page and next page in each description, including a translation, probably. :’)

I hope you like them! And like the surprise, well (???).

AND WAIT, THAT IS ALL? No, I still have many more stories to do, of course, don’t be scared, I have a lot of YAOI, not just Gaako. I still have to prepare and show you the cover for the “canonical” story, so~. 👀👀❤❤❤

This was for the 400 followers, but the number increased in a week (?).

~~~~

No inventen, no puedo traducirlo todo, a la ronia, porque luego se hará un inshi post gigante y como que no, perdón. 3 

Cada página nueva (lo más probable es que suba dos páginas por actualización de novela), la subiré en esta misma plataforma, al menos, hasta que encuentre otra manera, pero para ser sinceros, me gusta más por aquí. Acomodaré cada historia con su actualización con su hashtag correspondiente, de esa manera también añadiré página anterior y siguiente página en cada descripción, incluyendo una traducción, probablemente. :’)

Espero que les guste esta salvajada, so (???). 

Y un momento, ¿eso fue todo? No, todavía tengo un montonal de historias más, claro, no se me espanten, porque tengo mucho YAOI, no solo cosa de Gaako y listo. Todavía he de preparar y mostrarles la portada de la historia “canónica”, so~. 👀👀❤❤❤

Esto era para los 400 followers, pero el número aumentó en una semana (?).

[opalgelance]

thoughts on steven universe future

td;lr overall opinion: steven universe future is better than most of the original steven universe, especially seasons 3-5, but there are still some real iffy plotlines in future

i hate that the diamonds were redeemed but at the same time, the happy clouds blue and yellow putting gems back together scenes were so pure

it simultaneously warms my heart and infuriates me 

but we finally got a blue diamond song, god i love her voice

EDIT: also steven basically tortured white diamond and nearly killed her and it was pretty disturbing bc steven is 1. in a really bad mental state, like way darker than i thought they’d show him go, since this is technically a kids show and 2. was also kind of trying to hurt himself, which both hit me really hard bc i had similar periods of blazing anger, wanting to self harm and harm others that i felt had wronged me when i was a teenager, but its also what white deserves

ncsndlljklkcndkls i want to enjoy this show so bad but,,, steven having ptsd makes him a violent douche??? diamonds killed who knows how many gems in their reign and never really felt bad about it in original su but now they’re supportive life coaches??? no thank you

on more positive notes, i loved how priyanka described mental health and how she treated steven throughout the entire check up, she was so nonconfrontational and whenever he felt stressed she deescalated the situation,,, it was so good

the animation is the best its been since season 2. the poses are clean, very well drawn, and on model. there are more action scenes than like 90% of steven universe and they’re animated way better, like theres actual fighting and motion asjksacbcbj no one is stiffly posed, no one has strange proportions, no one is drastically changing sizes in between shots (well besides steven in growing pains onward but when he does change size its supposed to be like that lol)

i liked seeing the real roses but didnt love it? i wish we saw more of the roses designs up close, and i wish they fit a little more with the other quartzes? it might be just because its era 3, but the roses were all way more unique than jaspers and amethysts generally seem to be. i like that they were more unique designs and had different personalities, but surely the diamonds wouldnt have tolerated that back in era 1 or even era 2, had the rose quartzes not been bubbled? also i get that they’re reminiscent of pink bc she created them, but hippie and superfan were so naive, more so than other quartzes. if each quartz group was slightly different, it would make a little more sense tbh like if quartzes were the entire gem army, but each group was slightly different. i always liked the idea that rose quartzes were either the defense or the healers of the gem army.

little homeschool and guidance were fun and genuinely enjoyable, considering not a whole ton happens in them. i wish townie episodes had been more like them. like you could replace the gems with random humans, but it would still be a fun episode? idk, maybe involving the humans in gem stuff wouldve made better townie episodes, like lars and the cool kids. it wouldve probably helped steven feel more “human” too, if the human and gem worlds collided a bit more in the series.

bluebird was... an ok episode, but im not sure how well it will fit into what i feel like the end will be, where every episode of future featured someone steven helped or affected in some way, and they all come together to help steven when he corrupts. or rather, i guess if bluebird did say something, it would feel more hollow bc steven didnt help them lol the gems and universes were just friendly to them, and thats it. it wasnt as bad as a very special episode (my least favorite episode of future), but it felt like a townie episode with no townies LOL at least we got a new fusion i guess

a very special episode was just,,, infuriating. there was that weird football scene where they just like,,, talk about screen resolution for a minute then play the full commercial for little homeworld we just saw last episode???? i did genuinely enjoy the rainbow scenes, but it just built up to not nothing. oh no, it was something alright. the whole episode was just future vision and then theres like a minute long psa??? it felt like that wacky randomness that would have happened in like, ok ko, teen titans go, or clarence jaskjcbkcjbskb

mr universe is tied with dear old dad episode as my least favorite greg episode. i get how both of them feel. greg wanted to tell steven about how he escaped from his miserable childhood and remade who he was, no longer a demayo but a universe. the problem imo was that greg became way too absorbed in the past. it reminds me a bit of s1 pearl, how she’d proudly recount gem battles and basked in the glory of fighting for their freedom, but she struggled when she had to recount the more unsavory parts of war. and that really affected amethyst, since she didnt fight in the glorified war pearl told her and steven about. amethyst was the byproduct of one of the bad parts of the war, and that became part of her identity, until on the run, where pearl finally realized that she needed to tell amethyst that she wasnt bad. amethyst’s creation may have fractionally hurt the earth, but that wasnt her fault. it wasnt her fault that she emerged too late to fight either. and it wasnt her fault that she existed. sounds familiar to to stevens rant in the van. 

steven didnt ask to be made. he didnt ask to be the half gem half human son of a diamond. but he grew up being told about how great his mom was, and that while no one would ever say it, she was gone because of him. to create steven, rose had to die. it was roses decision, but as the product of that decision, steven feels responsible. not only that, but being told constantly about his amazing mother, steven felt like he had to live up to her, had to be like her, had to replace her in the gems and greg’s lives. throughout the series, steven is constantly either trying to be like his mother, until he realizes its ok to be himself. but then the question is posed; is steven even himself? or is he still part of rose? and once he finds out that he’s steven, and has always been steven, he’s still reeling from the realization that his mother was pink diamond. and that really shows in future, where steven is becoming like pink. at first he doesnt even know, because besides the jungle moon dream, him and the audience never knew about this side of pink. this angry, short tempered, diamond who lashes out mostly physically. and unlike before, no one’s telling steven about pink (besides pink pearl) hes finding out firsthand, and this pink mode is basically being forced on him by his gem. steven has little to no control over this form. hes not trying to live up to his mother, or wondering if he is her, like before. now, he’s losing control to whatever programming is in his gem.

but back to mr universe. in the van, greg is going on and on about how lucky steven is, and how free steven is, but how can either of them compare their lives to each other? the similarities just arent there. steven is right, greg and pink were “raised” in very similar “households”. both had their wishes and desires suppressed by controlling, abusive parents. we know pink was abused mentally, verbally and physically (being physically dragged away from the screen by yellow in jungle moon, stevonnie being grabbed and thrown into the time out cell by yellow, when she still thought steven was pink), but greg at the very least was mentally assaulted. but they diverge from here. as greg said, he thought disco was back. rose started a war. you cant compare them any further. 

but at the same time, steven was raised completely differently. he was raised in a home with love and freedom, but he was also not given the opportunity to be a normal kid. theres a difference being forcing your kid to do something and not giving them the chance to try something. steven was never given the option to go to school (well in the comics he was but i guess thats not canon now since it seems like steven wishes he went to school?) he was never given the option to live in a house, or go to the mall with friends. the only other kids he knew were the boardwalk kids, but even then, he doesnt seem very close with them. for such an outgoing, friendly kid, steven wasnt given many opportunities to make friends. steven’s upbringing was very relaxed, yes, but it was too relaxed. he needed more structure, and more importantly, more humanity. i always thought it was weird, how little steven seems to have interacted with humans before connie, considering that his mother so desperately wanted steven to experience being human. yes the show is about gems, (and yes, i dont like most townie episodes), but steven was never shown doing a lot of “human” kid things inbetween episodes. the episode never started with him coming home from a friends house, he hardly ever spent time with friends other than connie in little scenes. like he was never called for a mission while playing cards with peedee, or coming home after an after school activity. any scenes like that were either just steven by himself, or with greg, and occasionally connie. but connie is a new addition to his life. how many years has he been doing fun stuff with only his dad for company, or by himself? yknow, “non traditional” childhoods and living situations are becoming more and more common in media, rather than the “two parents in a suburb house” thing, but steven’s life is beyond any unusual childhood any other kid would have. i mean he’s never even been to the doctor! which is probably for several reasons, like the fact that he apparently doesnt have a ssn, he can heal himself, has a damn gemstone in his stomach, and is half alien. but still, thats not something he has in common with other kids. no matter how much love and freedom he was given, steven was raised as an outcast.

i agree with the notion that both greg and steven were both right and wrong in mr universe. i guess they both have that in common with rose lol 

greg should have read the room better, realized that his pep talk wasnt the support and apology steven needed to hear. but steven shouldnt have acted out in the way he did. i get that’s the “theme” of steven’s spiral, maybe for the younger audience to better understand how steven is acting? but crashing his dad’s van that gregs been living in for like 20 years? fucking SHATTERING jasper? that’s going way too far to prove a point. it would have been better to maybe mirror story for steven, where marty and greg are arguing, marty is watching the road and they narrowly avoid hitting a car. but crashing the car could have been pretty serious, especially for greg. now jasper, that episode shouldnt have been approved. steven should not have shattered jasper. he fucking killed her. rose/pink didnt even shatter anyone. and if it wasnt for steven getting another superpower out of nowhere, jasper would have stayed that way. he should have just cracked her gem, poofing her in the process. the rest of the episode wouldve played out exactly the same.

anyways ive been writing this for like 2 hours but i feel better letting it all out. if you enjoy future keep enjoying it! it’s definitely more like a B+ compared to season 3-5′s general C-/D+. but please take into consideration future has some themes that people personally relate to, like mental health, and that you shouldnt shit on someone elses opinions that are based on their own personal experiences. especially if you dont have mental health issues, dont keep pushing your opinion and telling people that personally relate to future’s themes that they’re wrong? thats fucked up man

[baalzebufo]

Can I ask what you love about Ronaldo? :o sorry if I'm bothering you, I just haven't seen any love for him in the fandom, I'd love to hear you ramble about it!!

do NOT worry i will take any opportunity to ramble about him!! this got really long and is basically a small essay sorry about this, ill put it behind a readmore but. i have a lot of feelings to unleash

so like, ive always loved the human characters in SU, just tossing that out there to start. they have some of the most relatable aspects of the show for me and i think work really well to ground the show and have that human aspect and provide the Other Half of stevens life. and i relate really strongly to all of them- lars is a huge example, bc of the way his anxiety and depression is portrayed and how it Can cause you to lash out sometimes when you hate yourself- like, ive been there during my less healthy periods and tbh. i had the same feelings with ronaldo

heres this late-teen-early-twenties dude who hasnt done much with his life and hasnt got a lot of friends and is widely considered to be the weird outcast. he doesnt have the best grasp of social cues, he is kind of inappropriate sometimes without meaning to be and occasionally insensitive, and more than anything hes searching for purpose and importance in life. one thing i feel people tend to overlook about him is that inferiority complex- its made very clear in keep beach city weird (the ep) that he basically has a full depressive breakdown when he learns he isnt actually at the center of any big conspiracy. and like, as someone who has struggled with the feeling of being tiny and unimportant in the universe, lemme tell you i FELT that. especially when other people seem to be so much better than you? people need to feel at least some kind of validation and self-importance to feel alive tbh

i think it gets overlooked bc it isnt focused on nearly as much as it is w some other characters and i could be overanalyzing i know, but i feel like its pretty much subtext he has some form of depression- his mood swings pretty strongly and hes clearly very emotional and has outbursts. in my neurodivergent eyes he is absolutely coded with Some kind of mental health issue or neurodivergency, with his hyper-obsessing over his interests and ignoring everything else for the sake of them, and ofc his tendency to have a full on meltdown when hes Wrong and Not Special. i just feel like theres so much more THERE that people could explore but goes unappreciated? like- during future boy zoltron, he asks a question to steven (offscreen) but considering stevens response is ‘deep down, your father really loves you’ its pretty strongly implied there ronaldo is... perhaps more aware of his impact on his family and loved ones than he shows outwardly. its never hugely focused on but theres snippets that just make me super fascinated to know about him

and ofc i have to bring up my favourite piece of Ronaldo Lore, the comic Anti-Gravity. please PLEASE read it if you are interested in him because imo it does the best job of showing what hes like- hes eccentric and weird and lets his imagination run wild sometimes but deep down he wants to help people and be appreciated. sometimes those desires lead to him being selfish or hurtful, and i dont think he even realizes hes doing it sometimes, because whenever hes called out about it he tends to rethink his actions. but in that comic he helps steven save the day and has. this rly good quote: 

‘for once, i know i can help! you were right- i didn’t understand how dangerous these anomalies could be, but the whole reason im even talking to you now is because i care.’

hes a dreamer and he lives in his own little world a lot of the time and likes to reject the reality he considers Boring where he is just another normal person among billions but he does earnestly want to help people. he just enjoys the weird and unusual and wants to be proud of that, which sometimes leads to him ignoring social norms because he doesnt care what people think.

this post got into the like ‘deeper’ stuff, but dont get me wrong i also just think he is VERY funny and cute. hes extremely silly and whenever i see him being a Huge Fucking Dork it warms my heart bc. idk, im also a dork. im a twenty-something dude who tries to be proud of being weird and loving my strange interests and seeing another character like that in a show i love just... we Connectin. but in general i feel like he could have so much more!! and is widely ignored by the fanbase bc they find him annoying (or creepy). which is fair, aint nobody have to like a character if they dont want, but i certainly will love him and put together The Pieces. is it probably just headcanon and speculation?? yeah, maybe. but rly, would ronaldo have it any other way

[karazor--el]

Nicole Maines once offered lessons in becoming herself. Now, she becomes someone else for a living.

The Maine native first made headlines as an anonymous student who sued her school district in 2013 over bathroom discrimination. School officials had barred Maines, who is transgender, from using the women’s bathrooms. She won her case, and eventually went public to describe the experience in the family memoir Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family.

Maines’ activism also led to on-camera appearances in television and film discussing her experience as a transgender American. Her natural charisma also led to acting opportunities, including appearing as the first transgender superhero on American television with her role as Dreamer/Nia Nal on The CW series Supergirl, produced by Greg Berlanti. Last year, she also earned acclaim (and a Queerty Nomination) for her work as a vampire in the indie horror film Bit.

With her star on the rise, Queerty snagged some time to chat with Maines about the unusual trajectory of her life, her newfound acting career, and her survival lessons for the COVID-19 lockdown. Supergirl airs Sundays on The CW.

So, I must say, with everything going on I feel obligated to ask: how are you right now? Are you ok?

Thanks for asking. I’m really good. I came down to Austin; I’m staying with my parents. I try to keep myself busy any way I can. I’m playing lots of video games. I just re-downloaded Skyrim.

Oh yes.

I’m doing a playthrough. Always fun. I got Disney+, and they released the final season of Star Wars: Clone Wars, which was a big show when I was a kid. I love it, so I’m rewatching. It still holds up. It’s amazing. And I’m doing art with my tablet. I sit in bed and doodle away.

Maines as Dreamer in ‘Supergirl’

Sweet. So you’re one of the most prominent trans actors on television. I don’t want to call you a trans action hero; that makes you sound like an ATM.

[Laughter]

Trans superhero, yes.

What kind of responsibility is it to play a character like Dreamer, the first transgender superhero on TV?

I feel like being the first for anything has a certain amount of pressure. You’re setting where the bar is going to be. You want to set it as high as possible because you don’t want to be the one that messed up. It’s like oh, she messed up. No more trans superheroes!

[Laughter]

Right.

So I want to do so well so we can continue to have trans superheroes. Fortunately, the response has been responsible. People love Nia, the character. People who aren’t trans love the character, which is almost cooler than hearing that trans people love Dreamer. I was pretty sure that the response from the trans community would be very positive. My own reaction was so excited, so I knew the community would love it. But the number of cisgender people that come to me and say “Dreamer is my favorite character. She’s my favorite superhero.” Aside from her transness, she’s a really special character. She’s just awesome, and its been amazing to see people love her as much as they do.

It’s true. In looking at the show, what strikes me—you’re right—is that it’s not about her being trans. It’s about a woman in an extraordinary situation, who happens to be trans. It’s her relationships with characters like Kara and Brainy that are so relatable. She’s a woman finding her purpose.

Absolutely. It’s a true coming of age story. Her transness isn’t the biggest part of her story. Coming into Season 4, the biggest problem on her mind wasn’t her transness. It was seeing the future in her dreams and not knowing how to handle it.

She’s just trying to get through the day, yeah. It’s so simple that way. Nia has obviously been a huge part of defining your career. And you’re not even old.

Can that please be the headline?

[Laughter]

I’ll keep it in for sure. But this role, by the way, will follow you for the rest of your life. You will be forever associated with her. Is that daunting?

I mean, I think it’s exciting. It’s very exciting to craft this original character and see her thriving among all the major DC players. Crisis [a storyline that crossed over on The CW superhero shows] was so crazy for me. To watch it and see Dreamer, the first trans superhero, up there with Batwoman and Supergirl and The Flash. That was so cool. So I’m excited to have this character follow me. I’ve had so much fun. And I’m so attached to the character personally. I’m protective of her. She’s my baby.

That’s wonderful. You’re an actress who specializes in playing characters with extraordinary gifts. I want to ask about another character you played in a film called Bit.

Yes! Let’s talk about Bit.

It’s a cheeky, fun comic book horror film that you carry as the lead. You were nominated for Best Performance at the Queerties. I hope you are aware…

Yes, and I was so shocked, first of all, because it’s a genre film. So often, genre films don’t thrive in that kind of environment.

It took me by surprise at Outfest last year. I talked to Brad Michael Elmore, the director.

He’s one of my favorite people ever. He’s so smart and talented. He did such an amazing job writing this script. It’s so special. He’s very aware—and will be the first person to say–”I’m not the person who should be telling this story. I’m the straightest, cis guy out there. But I don’t see anyone else telling this story, so I’m going to.” And he did. He’s using his platform and privilege to lift people up. And he did a f*cking cool movie starring queer women.

Totally.

We had a female DP, which is huge. The whole movie was so amazing. The script was brilliant. Instantly, reading it, I fell in love. I hope people get to watch it soon. It’s just cool.

It’s cheeky fun. It’s kind of a female version of The Lost Boys, and I really related to the characters.

Yeah.

So it’s your first movie.

My first and only movie. I’m always on the phone with Brad. “Bradley, when are we making another movie? I’m getting bored.”

[Laughter]

So was it intimidating carrying the whole movie your first time out?

Terrifying. Dreadfully terrifying. I don’t know if anyone knew this, but I have no idea what I’m doing up here. I don’t have formal acting training. I’m not a Julliard actor. I haven’t been doing this for years. I show up and it’s like playing dress-up, you know? And on Supergirl too, I’m acting with juggernauts. It’s my first major [job] and I’m doing scenes with David Harewood. Cool, no pressure.

[Laughter]

I have to live up to something. I have to keep up with that. All of it is very scary. With Bit, trying to keep up with Diana Hopper and James Paxton. Most of my scenes are with them, and they are both so phenomenal. Acting is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever had to do. I have virtually no control over anything. I just try my best. And I’m really happy with Bit, and the response has been better than any of us could have asked for.

That’s marvelous.

It was supposed to be coming out soon, but the virus sort of threw that. I hope people get to see it soon, and I hope they get to see it in theatres.

It’s a film that I think will have a following. When I talked to Brad, he mentioned that he had read your book and consulted you doing research for the part. Then he decided he should cast you in the lead.

Yeah.

Were you at all reluctant to appear in a very queer film written by a cis straight man?

I didn’t really think much of it. The writing spoke for itself. It was phenomenal, well written, well researched. He’d talked to trans folks and read books. He knew what he was writing; he’d done his research to make sure it’s done well. And he made a movie where the trans character, like Nia, where her transness is not the only interesting thing about her. Brad knew: queer people are more than who we sleep with or where we use the bathroom.

Yes.

I found that very refreshing.

Well, and I’m not sure I should say this, but I did tell Brad: the first time I saw the movie I didn’t even catch that she was a trans character. I just thought Laurel was a woman played by an actress who happens to be trans, and that was it.

And that’s the beauty of it. It’s not something a lot of people are going to catch unless they’re looking for it. You catch it in certain places. It is there, and if you know to look for it, you understand. But otherwise, it’s not really pertinent to the situation. When we first meet her, with Laurel driving to Los Angeles, she’s passed a point in her life where her transness is her biggest issue.

Exactly.

Her biggest issue is her selfishness, and that now she has to kill people. She doesn’t want to kill people. It’s a story of a sort of amoral teen trans lesbian vampire.

I love it. When I talked to Brad, it was obvious he had this world very defined in his mind. Have you talked about doing another one? He hinted…

Yeah. It’s a possibility. Of course, I’m like yes, let’s do a trilogy. I want Bit Part II. I want to do all the movies. I have a running joke with him and James that Brad will be like 80 in a wheelchair, and James and I will be in Bit 16. We’ll never stop.

It worked for Star Wars.

I think it has the makings for a sequel, but first we need it frigging released.

So what else do you have coming up? I know Supergirl is coming back for Season 6. Are you part of it?

I believe that I can say I am, yes. I’m not going anywhere.

Beyond that? Other movies?

My life has just been Supergirl and Bit the past couple years. It’s funny: I see other folks doing other projects while they’re a regular on a series. And I’m like how do you have the time? It’s all I can do to get a night’s sleep. So right now it’s Bit coming out and Supergirl Season 6. I talked to the showrunner, and he told me what the plan is. I’m really excited. It’s a cool concept.

And I’m sure you can’t tell us what that is.

I can’t say anything.

It figures. Anything else you’d like to add?

Stay indoors. I feel like this could all be over sooner if people would just. Stop. Going. Outside. For stupid reasons.

Right?

Supergirl airs Sundays on The CW.

Queerty.

[thearkhound]

Letters to the MSX

Letters to the MSX (MSXにおくる手紙/MSX ni okuru tegami) is an article that was published in the final issue of MSX-FAN magazine (dated August 1995), in which the publication sent out a questionnaire to various people within the video game, computing and consumer electronics industries (from companies such as Micro Cabin, Compile, Game Arts, Sony and Matsushita), asking them about their involvement with the MSX and their thoughts about the platform, which was being discontinued from the market after 12 years in the market.

Originally I only intended to translate Hideo Kojima’s answers to the questionnaire, but then I decided to do the whole article because not only does it bring a lot of insight to the MSX culture in Japan, but it also provides a picture of how the computer industry was back in the mid-90′s and where it was heading. This is why it took me a while to publish this translation (and why I have been inactive on Twitter for almost a month now), since it was not only quite a long article, but there’s also quite a bit of technical jargon and idioms that I wanted to make sure I would get right.

Anyway, I hope that you will enjoy it.

Introduction

We sent out this questionnaire to as many companies as possible who were involved with the MSX via fax or PC. We wanted to publish the thoughts of the people who were involved during that period. We do believe this will lead to our next step.

The contents of the questionnaires are as follows. Please read them fully and compare them.

The text has been printed the way it was sent to us, but editor’s notes have also been in parts that we believe might be too difficult for some readers to comprehend. The text after the red circle is written by the editorial department to introduce the developer who answered the questionnaire, followed by their answers to each question. If the answers to question 1 and 4 given by the person in the previous section, then “same as above” will written in its place.

MSX-FAN Final Questionnaire

Company’s name

Name and current department

Job(s) during the MSX era

Most notable MSX products by the company

Your most nostalgic MSX moment and why

Words you wish to impart to MSX-FAN readers

Bonus/ Secrets, inside stories or such you wish to share

Tokihiro Naito

We can’t help but feel from reading Mr. Naito’s comment that the MSX was a machine that everyone made good use of. With such powerful talents, his games have served as an inspiration to numerous players. Before long, people learn about the enjoyment of creating games just like Mr. Naito... We feel it’s quite a wonderful chain.

T&E Soft

Tokihiro Naito, Development Division

DD Club/Pattern Editor Programming and Manual Manuscript Creation, Undead Line/Game Design. Hydlide/Game Design and Direction, Hydlide 3/Main Programming, Rune Worth/Game and Direction. I feel there were more projects (I’ve worked on), but I don’t remember any of them.

3D Golf Simulation, Hydlide series, Laydock series, Daiva, Psy-O-Blade, Rune Worth, DD Club, T&E Disk Magazine, and more

Laydock/ The truth is that I want to talk about everything I’ve worked on, but this particular title left the most lasting impression. This had an unexpectedly short development time, meaning that it was released even before the new MSX hardware. However, the developing target was pretty unstable, and with the hardware and BIOS specifications changing everyday, it led to a difficult development period. The person in charge was all (^ ^;

The MSX was a very interesting job for me. The MSX was probably the first time I was introduced to the concept of a VDP at such an early stage. Since the MSX was also the first machine I’ve ever experienced the use of sprites with, it was personally very fun. Even though MSX-FAN might be gone now, I hope many people will still use the MSX as a starting machine for programming or for making CGI.

DD Club contained a tool called SPEN, which was not a product by the company. It was actually a hobby program I designed in my home for over two years. At any rate, the name stood for Special Pattern Editor for Naito. This program was given free of charge to T&E Soft as my dedication to them./During the development of Laydock, I received a new BIOS-ROM from ASCII almost everyday, but every time the BIOS was changed it would cause the game to stop running, and we had to cool out the prototype MSX2 computer with a paper fan while programming as soon as it was overheating./ The 800 kanji fonts for the MSX1 version of Hydlide III that were on a 7x8 pixel format were in fact created by me. Were they hard to read? I’m sorry if that was the case./ There are many more unrevealed inside stories, but... (Editor’s Note 1: We this much content, we can’t publish this letter without cutting off some parts. Hmm...) (Editor’s Note 2: Hmm, I wonder if the other editor has seen that one last sentence.) (^ ^;

Akira Misoda

In the MSX world there is Micro Cabin. Nothing else needs to be said. We are grateful to them for many things. We thank them for porting Princess Maker to the MSX. And in addition to providing software for our supplemental disks, we learned many things from Mr. Nakano as the lecturer for our Picture Story & Movie Classroom articles. Producer Misoda has made an effort to backup all the above. I don’t think the Princess Maker port would’ve happened without his influence.

Micro Cabin

Akira Misoda, 1st R&D Department

Producer & Programmer of Campaign Daisenryaku. Programmer of The Tower of Cabin. Producer of Princess Maker.

Fray, Xak, Xak II, Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura, Daisenryaku, Super Daisenryaku, Princess Maker, Illusion City, The Tower of Gazzel.

This doesn’t have anything to do with the MSX version specifically, but Xak was the first game I programmed desperately after I’ve joined the company. I gave the rough source code to Mr. Nakatsu when he joined the company to produce the MSX version, but I’m still impressed that such a difficult code to understand could be ported so well.

The MSX is a hardware that has raised many people. There are quite a few people at Micro Cabin who used to be MSX users before joining the company. With the proper knowhow, you could make games on the MSX without having to purchase any expensive add-on (compared to other platforms). In that sense, it’s such a great loss that another platform that has produced game-making geniuses (!?) is disappearing from the industry. I might be exaggerating a bit, but... I really feel that way.

I’ve worked on the MSX prior to joining Micro Cabin. I did around four outsourced jobs from three different companies, and two of them were for Micro Cabin.

Yasuhiko Nakatsu

Programmers are said to stay up all night, tend to run away and are all unusual men, but there is no one who makes good products that keeps his deadlines, sleeps on time, and provides gentle guidance to everyone. We at the editorial department asked for such a person to serve as our lecturer for our picture story show articles. We are grateful to Mr. Nakatsu for everything he did to us and we apologize for asking too much of him. We are truly sorry for that.

Same as above

Yasuhiko Nakatsu, 1st R&D Department

Planning, programming, writing

Same as above.

I have many fond memories of software that came out on the MSX. Among there was this software called Su**s Gri... Oops! I’ve almost mentioned something I shouldn’t. My bad. My bad. Personally, Illusion City was my most memorable game when it comes to the most hardships I have to endure.

Thank you for publishing my articles after such a long period. For those who are not good at programming at BASIC, please look up any back issues and try your best at creating a picture story. The MSX was a machine with many ways to enjoy oneself. I look forward to future activities with the platform.

I was the one responsible for raising the memory of the A1-GT to 512Kb. Thanks to that, the machine was able to play MIDI without the burden of access time. I’m truly grateful at everyone in Matsushita.

Hitoshi Suenaga

Rather than introduce the person, I thought it would be more fitting to introduce his projects. He’s a talented genius responsible for the character designs in Micro Cabin.

Same as above

Hitoshi Suenaga, 2nd R&D Department

Xak 1, Fray, Daisenryaku, Illusion City

Same as above

Xak 1, since it was the first MSX project I ever worked on after joining the company.

I am grateful to everyone who supported our work, as well as everyone answered the questionnaire. While it’s sad that the world will go on without the MSX, I will still use it for my hobbies and personal work. In fact the character units in the 3DO version of Konpeki no Kantai were drawn on my MSX computer and then converted to the console.

If you want to be honest, if ASCII had asked for my input, I would’ve balanced out the hardware specifications of the MSX turbo R a bit more and I think the platform would’ve been around a bit longer. When I learned about the MSX turbo R’s hardware specifications after unveiling conference, I began crying on my bed... I’m serious! The MSX2 was a serviceable upgrade from the MSX1, but after that...

Katsuya Nagai

Mr. Nagai made one MSX software after the other while in Micro Cabin thanks to his love for the MSX and the effort he made to program every day and night.

Same as above.

Katsuya Nagai, 1st R&D Department

Programmed the opening and ending of Xak I. Also made the fighting minigame in The Tower of Cabin.

Same as above.

I was involved with Xak I as soon as I’ve joined the company.

Even though we are no longer making MSX games, we hope you’ll still support Micro Cabin in the future.

The Fray vs. Pixie minigame from The Tower of Cabin was ported from the PC-9801 version and I got to draw the animation patterns of a special move that was planned for the game. However, not all the animation frames could fit into the game’s memory, so I ended up using the regular patterns instead.

Naoko Arakawa

When talking about the TAKERU software vending machines, there is Ms. Arakawa. She was always full of energy when we met her during events. She even worked together with our editorial staff on the Sorcerian port, which is a project that brings us deep memories. She also worked on Sorcerian Relay, which is included in this final issue. Since it’s just a relay race game featuring characters from Sorcerian created by the editorial staff, it might not be anything special, but... We would be grateful is she re-releases more classic MSX software via TAKERU.

Xing

Naoko Arakawa, TAKERU Executive Office (sales division G)

Sales promotion of MSX software for TAKERU

Sorcerian, BURAI Vol. 2, ect.

Thanks to the news announcement from MSX-FAN, our game reprinting project attracted attention from many users, which evolved into the TAKERU Meisaku Bunko (Masterpiece Library) series. We;re now re-releasing PC-9801 and X68000 games on TAKERU as well, becoming an important pillar of our service more than ever. I think it was all thanks to the planning of MSX-FAN and our MSX users.

I truly salute MSX users for their passion, enthusiasm and creative urge. While we gathered many games for our reprint series, there were still quite a few things that left a bit to be desired (like why we didn’t include games from a certain company or why we didn’t include a particular title). There were many games that did not come out on TAKERU due to various circumstances, so we apologize for that. From now on we’ll do our best to have software reach MSX users via TAKERU, even if it’s just a few game. Please support us.

I have strong memories of sneaking out to see the A-Bomb Dome while I was en route to the MSX Festival in Hiroshima. On another occasion, I was photographed by a professional for the first time when I was interviewed by Mr. Tokita and Mr. Sasaya. The photo looked like a portrait than any normal photo. It’s one of my most treasured possessions.

Akkii

Falcon is a company that undertook a substantial role in the porting of Sorcerian that MSX-FAN and TAKERU (Brother) helped produce. Their president, Ms. Midori Ito, while working for Yamaha to promote the MSX, unexpectedly ended up becoming a programmer herself and before long she ended up marrying Mr. Kazuhiko Ito, who was employed at Micro Cabin at the time. The two ended up forming their own software development company. Answering in this section is Mr. Moribe, who was the lead graphic designer.

Tierheit (aka Falcon)

Akkii, Planning & Development Department - Development Section 2

Pixel art, debugging, intermediary with TAKERU’s executive officer, and many other jobs

Sorcerian, Sengoku Sorcerian, Pyramid Sorcerian

All of it, of course. It was the first company I’ve joined and the first job I was employed at.

The ending of Sorcerian was very anti-climatic. I’m sorry about that. Of course, the MSX is a hardware that exists because of its users. Even if this magazine will no longer be in print, the MSX scene will remain active as long as there are users, especially when it comes graphic designing (personally). Good luck!

Well there’s something I want to say, but... Oh no!

Yoshihide

I often used to go to the MSX Fair. I used to work at Osaka, bu moved back to Tokyo along with my wife last year. I want to know if the secret title was Dragon Spirit or Valkyrie.

Namco

Yoshihide, Consumer Sales Department - Promotion Division

MSX software sales and PR activities (including planning). Since there weren’t that many people, I did a bit of everything.

Return of Ishtar, Xevious: Farland Saga, Pac-Mania, ect. We also did the Disk NG series too.

For Xevious, I remember doing a bit of everything ranging from joining in the planning, production, advertising, distribution, sales and public relations.

I wish good luck to everyone involved with the MSX at Namco (including our users).

There were many games that we announced, but didn’t get released. On one hand I think it’s regrettable, but on the other hand it’s a bit horrifying.

Masamitsu Niitani

It’s because of Disk Station magazine that the MSX became an interesting world. It’s because of them that we had the Puyo Puyo series and Carbunkle. With its low-price, the fun-packed Disk Station was a brilliant plan that managed to rejuvenate an industry that has hit a rut. It was always a pleasure to deal with President Niitani himself when calling the company, even if it was the middle of the night.

Compile

Masamitsu Niitani, President

Planner, Producer, Graphic Designer, Programmer

Guardic, Madō Monogatari, Nyanpi, Golvellius, Rune Master, Adventure of Randar, Disk Station

Disk Station

Let’s walk with the times

I want to talk to Mr. Nishii of ASCII about his thoughts on the MSX.

Yoichi Miyaji

The founders of Game Arts got their start as part-timers at ASCII back in the old days. Because of their talent, they quickly formed their own company, where they gave birth to Thexder. At any rate, we had a chance to seriously think about developing for the MSX with Mr. Miyaji.

Game Arts

Yoichi Miyaji, President

Producer

Thexder, Fire Hawk, the Gyuwamburaa Jikō Chūshinha series, the Sum series

The debugging of the MSX-BASIC rom was carried out back when the founders of Game Arts were employed at ASCII. I think the BASIC was made extremely well.

I treasured the MSX like it was my own child. I did my best with the belief that the MSX was a better hardware than the Famicom (NES). It’s been more than 10 years (ed’s note: 12 years precisely), the age of the Famicom is over now and it’s time to let the MSX go too. It’s truly been a long time.

Satoshi Uesaka

Mr. Uesaka was the one who originally created the card concentration game called Card Desu as soon as MSX-FAN started including supplemental disks on each issue. It had an edit function in hopes that it would lead to a series of edited works, but not many edited versions were made and the whole thing amounted to nothing.

Same as above.

Satoshi Uesaka, Section Chief of Development

Producer, Director, Programmer, Pixel Artist, Scripter... I did many things.

Same as above.

The Sum series ended with 14 games that were released in a span of a single year.

Never forget your dreams, even when they end. (plagiarized)

Kamiji

BIT2′s president Mr. Kuribayashi was observing various creative tools for the PC-9801 one day when said that he would make his own versions to surpass them on the MSX. So he ended up making the CGI tool Graphsaurus, the FM music tool Synthesaurus and the MIDI tool Midisaurus. Without these tools there would’ve been no CGI contest on MSX-FAN and no MIDI Sandogaza column. In Mr. Kuribayashi’s place, this questionnaire was answered by saleswoman Ms. Kamiji.

BIT²

Kamiji, Sales

Accounting

Graphsaurus, Synthesaurus, Famicle Parodic

When they started putting all their efforts into the Turbo R and GT was when the MSX started sinking.

We still wanted to make MSX software, but since not many people were buying them anymore, we had to discontinue them.

Toshikazu Awano

While persistently providing software for the MSX, he also provided his invaluable insights on the MSX during the MSX Symposium (see our June 1991 issue). It seems he got into this world from the records industry, but has since be transferred into KOEI’s U.S. subsidiary and is now busy selling English versions of the Nobugana’s Ambition series for consoles.

Koei

Toshikazu Awano, Koei Corporation (of America)

Head of Sales

Nobunaga’s Ambition, Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Nobunaga’s Ambition II came out when I’ve joined the company and since it sold pretty well, it left me with a strong impression.

Our company used to sell MSX soft until very late, but when we discontinued them, we suddenly receiving porting requests from MSX users. Many of them were specifically middle and high schoolers with a strong sense of appreciation.

Tatsuo Matsuda

As someone who greatly loves the MSX beyond all else, he aspired to turn it into a machine that gives everyone the opportunity to bloom their talents. That is, even if you’re not rich or you live in a rural area, you should be able to use the MSX to awaken your hidden talent by creating CGI and music or get the opportunity to express yourself.

ASCII

Tatsuo Matsuda, Multimedia Department Promotion Manager

Promotion for MSX Sales

MSX

We have shipped over 4 million home computers to young people around the world, including Japan.

I want you to become smart Japanese people with unique personalities who could work around the world.

There are still many people using the MSX around the world. The MSX should be classified as a computer, not a game console. I’m very pleased that many people have learned about computers from this platform and have found employment through it.

Hitoshi Suzuki

Everyone who was involved with MSX has called him a genius. Without his genius, perhaps MSX wouldn’t had gotten such a good BASIC program. Nevertheless, he’s a truly wonderful person with a sense of humor who made Basic-kun as a side-project

Same as above.

Hitoshi Suzuki, Director of Digital System Division and Silicon Software Development

Listener to Mr. Matsuda’s complaints and causing uproars at parties.

I haven’t really done that much (Ed’s Note: He did a lot. Many of the programming for tools and systems used by the MSX were done by him.)

Yukiko Okada’s suicide haunted me. (Ed’s Note: At the time of her death, she was appearing in the advertising of a certain company.)

Our youth is a brief moment that only shines once. The memories that have gone through all of us at a rapid-pace will shine within me forever. And on my deathbed, I will utter “Em...Ess...Ex” as my last words.

There’s a huge mouse in Osaka. (Ed’s Note:It seems that the three main proponents of the MSX platform (Mr. Yamashita, Mr. Matsuda, Mr. Suzuki) once went to a business trip in Osaka. Nobody truly knows what happened there, but it seems that Mr. Matsuda was nicknamed Mr. Mouse after a certain incident. Don’t tell anyone, you meanie!)

Shingo Tamura

Mr. Tamura joined Sony at the midst of the audioboom. He was responsible for the famed live recording machine Densuke. Afterward, he became involved with the MSX and was in charge of the PalmTop. Even though Mr. Tamura is the section chief with a scary reputation, he’s actually a romantic who likes the stars, nature and soba noodles. We thought about what Sony means as a company with stuff such as sending mail through the internet in this day. Is it linked to their merchandising? We also wanted to emphasize the MSX’s side as a cool PC.

Sony

Shingo Murata, Planning and Development of Merchandising

Sales Chief of Planning and Development of Hardware, Software and Peripherals

The HB-55 was the first HiTBiT promoted by Saeko Matsuda. The HB-F1 was a budget-priced MSX2 computer that retailed at 32,800 yen. The HB-F1XD is an MSX2 with a floppy disk drive that retailed at 54,800 yen. In terms of games, there was The Wiz, which was perhaps a famed Sony original.

There was a software called Igo Club that was an online go game, and a Kanji Video Titler. There was also a BASIC-learning kit aimed at an industrial-level (after applying for the correspondence education, you would be sent an MSX with a handbook).

Every middle schooler who got their start on the MSX dreamed differently from Famicom owners. They could learn how to program or how to make a software run to their own accord. They continued in their creative endeavors now, even now as adults. If they can have home terminals like that in the 21st century, I think we can once again stir up some creativity. As long as people have dreams, we’ll embark on new challenges.

We tried to make and sell all kinds of products. The hardware is a business that really ought to make use of the software. With that in mind, we couldn’t make the DC machine (Ed’s note:a portable device) because the resolution was a bit overly optimistic and there were too many constraints. I would like to thank my subordinates, editor-in-chief Ms. Kitane and her staff, and my good friends at Sakurakai (Ed’s note: a liaison between multiple MSX hardware manufacturers that gathered once in every month, where they would improve on the good points, reflect on the bad ones and collaborate with each other. It was last held in May ‘95), even if they would normally be suspected of bid-rigging. And of course, everyone at ASCII. It was thanks to the MSX that I had a bond we all of the above people. And what would become of Mr. Kurami, our MSX historian at Sony who served as our walking encyclopedia? Thanks!

Naoya Kurami

Mr. Kurami is a delicate perfect fit for Sony’s corporate image. Everytime he received a call from our editorial department, he always winced momentarily whenever it was some kind of difficult call... Despite that, he seems to have what appears to be a poster of Saeko-chan...

Same as above.

Naoya Kurami, Vice Director of Planning and Development of Merchandising

Planning and Promotion of hardware, software and peripherals

Same as above

I don’t know if it can be said that its directly MSX-related, but do you know the stock-trading computer HB-T600 or the online go software Igo Club? Either way, studying stocks and studying go was a painful experience. And considering all that, the results were not quite good.

Well, for better or worse I spent the last ten years of my life working on the MSX. With this information now out on an MSX-related magazine, I feel a bit embarrassed. By the way, I own a train poster of Ms. Seiko Matsuda (advertising for our HiTBiT computers) as a souvenir from the past. I thought about selling it for a high price... I would like to thank all of editors at MSX-FAN and all of its readers. It’s been such a long time.

Hideaki Yagami

We, at the editorial staff, get the impression that the people at Matsushita are very serious and diligent. Both, their hardware and software are designed with the need to bring enjoyment to their users without betraying their expectations. Only Matsushita machines are strong against instantaneous blackouts and their PACs (Pana Amusement Cartridges) might had been a manifestation of that mentality. Under such circumstances, Mr. Yagami  (who is also skilled at skiing) was pretty good at gaining the trust of the software house (not just for the debugging meetings) and still is to this day.

Matsushita

Hideaki Yagami, Software Development Department of the Interactive Media Division

Development & Planning of Software at the Pana Amusement Production

The FS-5500F2 is famous for being the first MSX computer with 2 disk drives. The FS-A1 was a budget-pridced MSX2 that retailed 29,800 yen. The PACs were MSX cartridges containing S-RAM backup. Other products include the CF-XXX series, the FM-PAC, a Bowling System and an educational system aimed for Russia (that’s a secret)

The AshGuine series were a series of games starring the first character made by our company. We made the games all-night at the development site with the developers from the various companies involved to decide on the content of each game, their packaging and the posters.

When the MSX was brought to this world, a personal computer meant for the users something that could run the program they made, not just the packaged software they bought from a store. In today’s world, computers take many shape in order to support the needs of the world, but in spite of that it’s no longer easy to program by yourself, even if you own a PC. Even though PCs are becoming much closer to humans now, I can’t helped but feel a sense of nostalgia when the distance between them was more primitive, that is to say when a PC was just a programming tool. Back then the PC was the embodiment of a user’s dreams full of possibilities. It could be said that people who lived through the era when PCs were born are living witnesses of a valuable era that brought fruit to a trend of rapid creation and evolution. Keep those memories of freshness in mind and continue dreaming, seeking the possibilities of new challenges.

I wonder if there was any other unified effort between multiple home electronics manufacturers to promote a unified standard (MSX). MSX-FAN may have ended with this issue, but for the hardware manufacturers I think it was an era of everyone pursuing the dream of a single unified standard of PC. To all the companies that provided software, I’m truly grateful. I’m also grateful to Ms. Kitane and the rest of the editors of Tokuma for being there until the end. And finally, I would like to thank of all the MSX users who supported the platform.

Kazuaki Hiraga

Mr. Hiraga was suddenly put in charge of the MSX in a matter of months and became a familiar figure in ten years, leaving quite an impression. He has the personality you would expect. He plays Gekitotsu Pennant Race pretty well too. He also planned to lend out MSX computers to a culture festival. Thanks to that, he experienced a “ghost incident” in the Kanazawa Inn. At any rate, he held a mini-4WD competition to bring excitement to the event and played games with other users. In a sense, he was a familiar and energetic face to the MSX.

Same as above.

Kazuaki Hiraga, Software Development Department of the Interactive Media Division

As a member of the PAP, I’ve worked as a contact for various software providers and at the same time I was involved in the development of original software and peripherals (such as the PACs). I also planned  and managed nationwide events. I was Pana Amusement Club member no. 0001! By the way, the Amusement Club began business around the time Vampire Killer came out

Same as above.

At the beginning many hardware manufacturers created MSX machines, but in the end it became a fateful confrontation between Matsushita and Sony. Right now our Panasonic-branded products are selling quite well, especially our TVs and videos, but our no. 1 product in Japan is the “A1″. This symbolizes the magnitude of expectations that Matsushita applies to its products.

Looking at the current software industry, there are quite a few people who joined the industry from the MSX, so I feel it’s a big deal. in that sense, I appreciate all those people who are still passionate about the MSX and I’m eagerly awaiting even more people to become experts in the field of software development.

Thanks to the MSX, I have a nice family (ed’s note: Mr. Hiraga met his wife when she was the host of an MSX event. They now have a child together). It was also fun to go through various events nationwide and talk to representatives of software houses and magazines. Everyone gave it their best during the 4WD races in particular. (ed’s note:Mr. Naito of T&E Soft is known for using a turbo mode technique that connected batteries in a serial format.) One of the packaging illustrators for the AshGuine series was the now-famous Teppei Sasakura (who at the time was an unknown). Looking at the prices of Mr. Sasakura’s works recently, I tried to look for the original painting, but it’s nowhere to be found. Ah!

Masao Ito

Mr. Ito is an obliging person who planned out products he thought of while working on Matsushita’s hardware designs. If things are any indication, we believe he made the FM-PAC by embracing a headfirst approach. Within the people at Matsushita who supported the MSX until the end, Mr. Ito has been patiently answering various questions from our editorial staff up until this final issue.

Same as above.

Masao Ito, Planning and Selling of Foreign Software for the Interactive Media Division (I’m making 3DO stuff now).

First I worked on hardware designs. But then I acted as a jack-of-all-trades, examining the MSX standards at the same time. At the the end, I was responsible for product planning, as well as in charge of designing domestic and overseas systems.

Same as above

In Russia, I almost got arrested by the Moscow police one time after spending several consecutive nights bowling there.

The MSX was a cost-effective platform. It was useful in various ways if you knew how to use it well. While the MSX’s days are numbered, its ideal still remains true. The concept will surely be revived in the future (don’t hesitate to ask in which form).

I did quite a lot of things, but for some reason I am still an unknown in this industry. The PAC and FM-PAC cartridges were possible thanks to me! By the way, I’m still waiting to receive my own PAC and FM-PAC from the company.

Yuya Iwakiri

Mr. Iwakiri is a gentleman who organized many MSX events that gave us the chance to gather everyone. He supported up us until the end.

Same as above.

Yuya Iwakiri, Public Relations Department Editorial Department

As a professional, I’m a latecomer to the MSX when I was employed in 1989. In my private life, the first MSX computer I touched was a so-called King Kong word processor, which was a unique experience. Because I came from an advertising background, I focused on the planning and organizing of MSX fairs, where I involved in the creations of catalogs and advertisement (thinking about it though, the job was rather lonely since MSX-FAN was practically the only MSX-focused media remaining by that point), as well as the promotion and advertising of word processors (such as the UI series and the SLALA model).

Same as above.

For me, it’s perhaps the FS-A1GT, which ended up becoming the last MSX machine ever produced. The slight hopes of everyone who had an affection for the MSX, such as Ms. Kitagane, whom I have a strong rapport with, and the various celebrities (in every sense of the word) from all sorts of software house starting with Mr. Tanaka (director general of Micro Cabin), were gathered thanks  at the nationwide fairs thanks to this machine. Until the bitter end, there was hope for another model, hope for the uncertain future of the MSX... Even though I knew how it was going to end, I still couldn’t help but feel a sense of bitterness when it was over. It was like falling in love with someone you were forbidden to, like a feudal lord and a peasant or Romeo & Juliet...I thought about why I was given a job during such a moment.

There’s always one way or another to do things because of the mischief of the age. I don’t want to ponder any “what ifs”, “perhaps” and “if only”, but just like life, I still wonder if the MSX could ever return to the starting line... I’m sure everyone involved with the MSX is thinking this as well. In this age in which Microsoft is now threatening IBM’s grasp of the PC market, it would wonderful to imagine the MSX engine from Japan taking over the world.

My kids (ages 6 and 4) play all sorts of gaming platforms. The Game Boy, the Super Famicom and the 3DO. But they really like MSX games over everything else. Perhaps they inherited my preference and nostalgia for MSX games... DNA is quite a scary thing. Anyway, I’m truly grateful to all the MSX fans around the world! Until we’ll meet again.

Masayuki Takeuchi

“Study hard and play hard” is a saying that suits this person. That’s because studying and playing are truly above-average.

Same as above.

Masayuki Takeuchi, Interactive Media Division Software Development Department Promotion and Planning Section

Planning for advertising and sales promotion.

Same as above

Before PCs became widespread, we put out the first MSX word processor with a built-in printer, which was a pretty successful product. Another product we put out was the A1, a budget-priced MSX2 computer sold at 29,800 yen. In order to promote the A1 at the time, we did several publicity campaigns such as a truck that traveled all over the country and the advertising character AshGuine. They were pretty memorable ad campaigns.

I'm sorry that it’s over. However, I’m truly grateful that people still appreciate the MSX to this day.

There was a golf game from Hudson that was pretty popular where you could switch between a professional and amateur mode. There was also a shooting game called Zanac, in which I made a bet with another employee named S-kun, who offered me a yen for each point I made. He owes me 2.4 million.

Taro Sugimoto

Even though Panasonic has officially ceased advertising their MSX computers in our magazine, they continue to publish advertisement for their U1 word processors. Perhaps they did out of obligation, but I feel they cherish their users more than that. Some members of their MSX development team has since moved on to the 3DO, but they still demonstrate their power even in their word processors. Because my nickname among my seniors was also “Taro”, I would often ignore people calling me out during MSX events if they didn’t attach my surname.

Same as above.

Taro Sugimoto, I.T. Division Commercial Affairs

I was doing promotion and advertisement under Takeuchi, Iwakiri and Hiraga, all whom I’ve received regards individually. In particular I was in charge of the MSX game events that were held once in every season. Since I was employed by the sales and promotion department, I never got around to making my own product, but I did write a utility book for an A1 peripheral. As a freshman employee at the time, it was my first experience with a PC, so it was extremely memorable.

Same as above.

The above-mentioned event. While I still organize events nowadays, the MSX Festival was the basis for everything. I used to travel all around the country, ate various delicacies and became acquainted with various representatives of software publishers, including Ms. Kitane, all whom have become valuable assets to me. I still treasured the t-shirt and sweatshirt that were produced for those events.

I’m currently in charge of advertising and managing promotion for our word processors and MSX-FAN could help us out by published our ads in each issue... I think. I’m sorry.

While organizing an event in Osaka, there was lack of manpower, so I helped out while wearing a sweatshirt. I was already in my second year within the company and I ran into a college acquaintance at the venue and he asked me “you’re still working as a part-timer.” Anyway, please support our word processors.

Hideo Kojima

When one hears the name Konami, a mountain of memories pop up. Konami has been releasing software vigorously since the beginning of the MSX’s lifespan and they always had an amazing quality to them. We have wonderful memories of games such as the fun Antarctic Adventure and Space Manbow, which turned out to be a good game despite constant delays thanks to the commitment of the developers. It seems that Konami carries the philosophy during development that one has to observe games that are hits or duds, and understand why they sell or not. As a result, Konami has created the most splendid games in the world. In such circumstances, Mr. Kojima created a new kind of game with a scenario for the PC market that wouldn’t had been possible in an arcade environment.

Konami

Hideo Kojima, Development Section 5

Planning, writing, direction, and a few character designs

For Kojima: Metal Gear, Snatcher, Solid Snake. For Konami in general: the Nemesis series, the Knightmare trilogy, Yie-Ar Kung-Fu, Space Manbow, Penguin Adventure, The Goonies, and many more.

My most memorable project was the original Metal Gear. Back then I was a rookie who didn’t know to distinguish between his right and his left, so I didn’t know how to make a game at the time. I didn’t even know how to get assistance from people. I had no credibility as a planner (since my previous game proposal got rejected). I think it was pretty reckless of me to create a new type of game. I had nothing but enthusiasm to drive me.

With the MSX, there was a sense of “learning together” and “living together.” In particular, I was full of feelings that I shared with players during my youth. My game development career was never in the limelight, so I don’t know how much the sincere opinions of all my players have encouraged and supported me. Even now I’m still encouraged by the correspondences of players from those days. I think there’s some sort of coexistence that goes beyond the framework between a receiver and a sender.

Each year new talent enter the game industry. Among them are many people that choose this path by being inspired by the MSX. At the very the least they inherited a burning passion for the MSX. The users (receivers) and developers (senders) will always remember the “sensation” of that time. If they have “pride”, then I’m sure the game industry will move towards a good direction.

[janusthesneakysnakeboi]

Florida Prep Host Club Part 1

(Ouran High School Host Club AU - but gayer)

Ships: Prinxiety mainly (for this part at least)

Warnings: Anxiety, panic attack, deceit mentions, self harm mentions (from a song)

Words: 1652

Note: This AU was based on a post @could-always-be-gayer-2 wrote and I jumped on it. Also I know Florida Prep Academy is a legit place, I didn’t realize that when I was writing this, and this has nothing to do with the actual school. This is also my first Sanders Sides fic so… yeah. (Song used (in bold) is Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn’t Get Sued by Fall Out Boy). Enjoy! :)

Ok, first day was pretty good. I mean people stared at me, but what do you expect from these too happy rich kids who now share a school with someone poor, like me. I mean, I wouldn’t have been able to even come here had it not been for my academic scholarship. Speaking of, I should find a quieter place to study than that library - who knew, the place where you’re supposed to be quiet is probably the loudest place in the school. I didn’t know my way around Florida Prep Academy yet, but I guessed I’d be learning quickly. If this place is anything like my last school, I better start scoping out the hiding places now.

I put the hood of my hoodie over my head and turned on some music that always seemed to calm me. What can I say? It’s something about dark - aka “emo” - music that really kept my anxiety in check. I guess the screaming was it - too loud for any thoughts to enter.

I turned my music down as I got to what appeared to be a vacant hallway - I don’t even think I remember seeing any classes down here. I paused my music as I approached Theater Room 3, figuring if there were any theater clubs here, they’d be in the first 2 rooms. I pressed my ear up to the door, and couldn’t hear much of anything. So, I opened the door, and went to press play on my very old and outdated iPhone 5s - which was pretty much out of the 16GB of storage it came with in 2014, and only really good for music, messaging (not like I had anyone to message though) and internet occasionally - when I heard 6 masculine voices start to speak in sync, as if they rehearsed it millions of times already before I walked in. It took me a minute to process what they all just said, but when I did, I almost dropped my phone in shock.

“Welcome to the Florida Prep Host Club!” The six people I was faced with all said at once.

“Umm… What is this? This seems like a sad little club,” I mused, looking around and realizing it was just the 7 of us in this large theater room. The one wearing a crown - why? - looked really offended by what I had said, and I could tell I was going to get a dramatic introduction to this club or whatever I walked in on.

“I apologize, you must not be familiar with the concept of a host club. The basic premise of a host club is that lovely people, like me, who have way too much time on their hands volunteer to entertain even lovelier people, like yourself, who also have way too much time on their hands. This one in particular is rather special you see. As the prep school with the highest number of  LGBTQ students, we took it upon ourselves when making this club that we would be very accepting of that community, and find most of our hosts and guests are in some way part of the community themselves.”

I felt my eyes widen in shock. How did I not know this was a rainbow school? You probably just expected everywhere you go to be Transphobia City, located in the great state of Homophobia. I didn’t realize the crown guy was still talking, until he was introducing the club members to me.

“Take your pick. We have the hard on the outside, soft on the inside guy, who also happens to be very gay, and bigender, if either of those strike your fancy,” when the crown dude spoke, a guy wearing a sweater and a yellow tie - probably a code for their gender identity of the day - waved awkwardly. “Don’t worry though, they are much less awkward once you have a conversation with them.”

“Wha-”

“Well, if you’re not into them, maybe the lovable, childlike one? Or how about the mischievous twins? Or the calm, cool, and collected, organized nerd over there? They may be straight, but they are very kind.” As he spoke, various people greeted me, and I tried to associate personalities with faces, until I realized I knew 0 of the 7 names I needed.

“Who even are you people!” I shook with nervousness, and became even more on edge when I realized I shouted at all these rich people who could end me in one second. I saw the “calm” one with glasses walk towards me, his blank, unreadable expression setting me off even more, and I broke into a run away from all of them on the far side of the room. I shakily tried to open my phone to put some music on when the shorter, “childlike” member came running towards me, slipping underneath a cautionary hand to race toward me. I panicked and, without looking behind me, I backed up rather quickly, and tripped on a cord that was probably either not plugged in or connected to microphones or something. To my misery, I fell back into a little table that had one thing on it.

Emphasis on had.

I heard a crash behind me and immediately curled into a ball, pressing play on a random Fall Out Boy album - the last thing I had open on my screen, and heard the title track to From Under the Cork Tree begin to play, and felt a cautionary hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see all the host club members looking on edge, but like this wasn’t unusual. They probably all pity you. Because they know you tr- written on my wrist says ‘Do not open before Christmas.’ We’re only liars- they are all lying to you. They just want you to have a false sense of security and hope. I mean it’s not like they have any pride flag- Then I saw it. The whole wall was covered in almost every pride flag imaginable. I look at the other wall, and noticed they are separated by gender identity and sexuality, so you wouldn’t be confused as to where your flag was. I looked to the left and right, and saw my flags. I smiled, and the person sitting in front of me smiled, realizing I had changed my expression from I imagine pure panic to a calmer one.

“Hi there. Are you okay? Are you feeling overwhelmed?” Patton’s voice was calm, trustworthy, nice. I smiled at him, and shook my head.

“I was before, but I think I’m better now. Thanks…” I bit my lip, looking away, embarrassed at myself for my actions. Patton helped me up off the ground, and when I stood up I remembered the crash, and looked behind me. “Oh no… was that valuable?” I turned around, and one of the twins was standing directly behind me.

“Oh no, it wasn’t extremely valuable at all. It was very inexpensive, barely cost us a penny. It also holds zero sentimental value.”

“Yo, don’t listen to them. They’re completely pulling your leg. But yeah sis, this was going to be auctioned off at the Grand Florida Auction for $420,000. That was just the starting bid.” The other twin with blue sunglasses on was now behind me, standing very close to the shattered porcelain. Seeing it all shattered and hearing the price for it made me wince a little.

“And, as you are so rich, we know you’ll have no problem paying us back. In fact, don’t even worry about it! I’m sure there’s no other way to repay us for that cheap glass you broke.”

“Hey, lay off! Give ‘em some time to get used to this all before confusing ‘im.” The sunglasses twin scolded.

“Now, if you would like my input, I would say that as we do not expect someone like you to have that kind of money, as you cannot seem to afford a school uniform. However, there are many ways one could repay debt.”

“Yes! Beautiful work my dear pocket protector! And I have just the idea. You are now officially the Host Club’s dog!”

Oh no, what did I just get myself into…

I nodded solemnly, and then the smallest one came running up to me again. “Yay!! I’m so glad you’re a host with us! Logan! We should all introduce ourselves!” And then I saw someone - Logan I would assume - nod.

“Ah yes. Maybe not all at once, as to not overwhelm our newest host more. However yes, I am Logan, they/them pronouns please. And yes, as mentioned I am a heterosexual, and feel attraction towards females. And-”

“- I’m Patton! He/Him pronouns kiddo, except on the rare days where I might ask you guys to use they/them, but those days don’t happen often.” Patton smiled at me, and I looked around to see everyone staring at me.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Then, I saw the crown guy come next to Patton, and smirk. “What Princey?” I sneered. I didn’t know what it was about him, but something didn’t feel right, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was going to- no, it wouldn’t make sense but of course, when does anything I think ever?

“Princey? I kinda like it. However, my official title is King of the Florida Prep Host Club, but you can call me Roman. He/him pronouns, por favor~” I would never admit that his wink had any affect on me at all. Never.

“So? What’s your name kiddo? At least tell us your pronouns, so we don’t upset you!” Patton spoke, and I shrunk into my hoodie, hoping I could disappear into the grey and black threads. “Oh, I’m sorry kiddo, are we overwhelming you again? Everyone, give the poor kiddo some space-”

“I’m not your kiddo. I’m no one’s kiddo.” I mumbled, turning to walk away. “I’ll be back tomorrow, only to repay my debt.”

Taglist: @could-always-be-gayer-2 @the-incedible-sulk @nymphaedoratonks @eatinglilies214 @side-for-sides

I’m probably gonna continue this, so let me know if you’d like to be tagged in the future!

[love-takes-work]

Fusion for Beginners and Experts Outline & Review

Fusion for Beginners and Experts (released December 26, 2017!) is a deceptively simple-looking book about relationships, told through the vehicle of the Steven Universe show's fusion concept.

In the television show, fans get very excited at the prospect of getting to meet a new Fusion, because even though we know these characters very well by now, we still can never be sure who their Fusion will be. Relationships change us, and the "we" we become together can change us forever, so seeing that play out in the context of relationships as CHARACTERS is enlightening. This book is about reasons different characters might have for fusing, important values associated with fusion, and perspectives on what they (and we!) can do with these important connections.

I'll outline each relationship profiled in the book and discuss a little about what it can mean in a larger context. But I’ll cut because it gets long and I’d rather not break people’s dashboards or spoil too much if you’d rather wait to get the book yourself.

The book begins with Garnet and Steven making a book about fusion together. Steven is the beginner, obviously, while Garnet (as a longtime love-based Fusion entity) is the expert. They set off a list of reasons characters might want to fuse.

First, we have Steven and Connie combining into Stevonnie, "To gain a different perspective." Steven and Connie are unable to see the screen in a crowded movie theater, but as the larger Stevonnie, they have a clear view. There are less literal ways of gaining a different perspective through your relationship with another person, and seeing things from a new vantage point is a valid reason to explore a relationship with them.

Next, we have Garnet and Pearl combining into Sardonyx, "Because you have great chemistry." Garnet is holding two test tubes to Pearl's single test tube, and when they combine their liquids, Sardonyx appears amidst steam. This is an interesting perspective on Sardonyx, as "they really have chemistry" isn't an angle the show has typically taken with Garnet and Pearl, but it does imply they have some sort of spark together, an ability to work together to create something unusual and new. Loving how someone makes you feel and sharing chemistry is certainly a good reason to find out who you are together.

The next section has Ruby, Sapphire, and Amethyst (as the Purple Puma) combining into Sugilite, "Because together you're more powerful." Ruby, Sapphire, and Amethyst are lifting weights, and Sugilite easily lifts a car. Relationships that are about joining forces for a common goal--to build up your strength and tackle the world together--have a fine reason to be together, as long as you're all on the same page about your goals. 

(Note: it's interesting that the pages for Garnet's Fusions from this point on [Sugilite and Alexandrite] show Ruby and Sapphire separately, even though several-Gem fusion with Ruby and Sapphire beginning the process while separated never happens onscreen in the show.)

Next, we have a section of the Ruby Squad (Army, Navy, Eyeball, Leggy, and Doc) combining into the giant Ruby Fusion: "You might want to fuse because you're so alike." Easily falling together with someone because you want and like the same things--finding someone who feels like an extension of yourself--makes a relationship seem so natural, making the world less intimidating to tackle alone.

And then we have a section featuring Ruby and Sapphire combining into Garnet: "Or you might want to fuse because you're so different." Garnet is such a great balance that sometimes you can forget how extremely different Ruby and Sapphire are; they're literally hot and cold, as well as exemplifying so many extremes with their personalities. They don't use their differences to simply cancel out each other's weaknesses; they mellow and enhance various aspects of each other to be the Gem they want to be, and Garnet lives her life embodying their love and admiration for each other. Finding someone who's attractive because they're excitingly different from you, infusing your life with this new way of seeing, is a great motivator for deciding to be with someone.

The next couple is Pearl and Amethyst combining into Opal, with the following caution: "You don't have to agree on everything in order to fuse, but you MUST agree that you want to fuse!" This is an interesting one, because it reminds readers that exploring your future with another person isn't necessarily about agreeing on everything, being made for each other, being deliriously in love. You can, in fact, learn about who you are with someone in one specific element of your lives--and do that thing, as long as you agree on that. It doesn't have to be everything, everywhen, everywhere. Pearl and Amethyst become Opal when it's necessary, or when it makes things easier for them. They only fuse when they both decide they want this.

And the following page features Peridot, who does not fuse with anyone. The text says "And if you don't want to fuse, that's cool too." Peridot is pictured holding her alien boxers, followed by putting them on and receiving multiple thumbs up from the other Gems. As an asexual and aromantic Steven Universe fan I especially appreciate this one. One option is always to NOT HAVE THESE KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS, and it's up to YOU when and if you're ready. You shouldn't be pressured or treated like you're underdeveloped or unreasonable if this just isn't your thing. Others should support you in your decisions. Peridot can have relationships with others without them having to be Fusions. THAT'S COOL TOO.

The next few pages say how Fusion is not always easy, or right, or good, or forever. First Jasper and Lapis are pictured. Their Fusion, Malachite, is not pictured. This text acknowledges that some relationships aren't right or aren't good, and if you look at the Jasper/Lapis relationship in the show, there's almost nothing about it that's good. Manipulation, fear, desperation, abuse of power, dubious consent even at the beginning, and extended violation of bodily autonomy DEFINED their relationship. It's good the book doesn't show them together. Their relationship is a nightmare. And even when it's not as extreme as these two, yes, relationships aren't always easy. This is really the most they can go into the world of potential heartbreak and abuse that relationships can bring and still keep this to a reasonably child-friendly book.

The final bit about how fusion isn't necessarily forever features Pearl and Rose, and their section extends to the question "And yet, what will you learn if you fuse?" We're shown Rose and Pearl's fusion process, settling in a glowing silhouette of Rainbow Quartz. This is bittersweet because we know Rose is passed on and Rainbow Quartz can no longer exist (how she was, anyway). Sometimes our relationships do pass, whether it's because the person moved on or because the person is no longer alive. Those relationships may no longer exist, but they do leave us with what we learned.

The next few pages describe the surprise we can experience in seeing the shapes we can create together, and the drawings depict Pearl, Amethyst, Ruby, and Sapphire combining into Alexandrite. These Gems do not have a romantic relationship together, of course, but they are nevertheless a "we," and those kinds of relationships are important too.

Pages with simplified starry-sky art discuss being yourself but at the same time someone new, closing out the book to present that mystery to us, concluding that we make our home in each other. It's a lovely sentiment, and even though there are always going to be some connotations to "adult" (translation: sexual) relationships when adults discuss this cartoon show in relationship contexts, I think it's super important that readers acknowledge that these relationships between the characters are able to be depicted as important, intimate, life-changing, and special without being thought too complex or too "mature" for children. Adults could certainly learn a thing or two from thinking about the concepts presented in this book, and in this show.

[SU Book and Comic Reviews]

[eclecticpatrolsweets]

Fog strange talk Season 3 ——Jinjiang City 2020 Top7

(Language: English;Shooting: American group;Released in: USA, worldwide)

preface

The city was swept by high temperature, and there were two pairs of mandarin ducks, who migrated for a long time to build their nests and settle down in a warm place. One was unable to bear the high temperature and fell, dying on the concrete floor. One opened its wings to block the hot sun for his partner. The male struggled and died soon. It was a long way and a spare dream. The mandarin ducks did not eat or drink, and rested beside their husband.

Mandarin ducks are amorous, not to mention people in the city.

Top7

It was another beautiful morning, and Sheng continued sleeping in bed. He had not worked for a long time.

I interviewed with several companies before, but they were not optimistic about my previous work experience. Even though he had operated projects with tens of millions of assets, the working technology of higher enterprises was not acceptable in small cities in this backward city near the river.

Sheng was not discouraged. He needed sleep more than ever, like a hibernating frog.

Reluctantly, he got up, dressed and went downstairs to Suming's coffee shop.

"It's been a long time since I had my coffee." Su Ming saw or came to the store, very happy to meet him.

"Quite a long time. I don't have a job, so I can spend more when I work."

'A good young man who cares for his family!

"Praise makes me feel excited and happy!"

Su Ming made the coffee and handed it to Sheng, who asked, "How is your business here?"

"There are definitely fewer people consuming these days."

"Yes, all idle so long, did you go to the injection?" The coffee is steaming up.

"Yes, you don't want to tell me you have a problem with the injection, do you?"

"Return true be such, not be to inform me to give an injection, go for the first time, did not have a needle, changed other hospital for the second time, the trouble of the bosom after finishing is more, beard hard grow, resemble wild grass same."

"How was the traditional Chinese medicine hospital?"

"It was like witchcraft. My stomach stopped hurting for the first two days and MY body gained strength. Then I burned my face with the medicine I was prescribed.

"If you go to bed earlier, your endocrine system is good and you don't get as many breakouts."

"You introduced a man, Wei Dongshuai, who suffers from severe insomnia."

"He thinks you're mysterious, and he doesn't believe in all this nonsense about curses and vampires."

'And yet he believed in God!

"People always have some sustenance, such as you save every ticket, no one in Jinjiang City will save every ticket for going out in the past ten years."

"There are habits, or hobbies, for a reason. For him, in a car is a kind of luxury, so he keep the good in every each ticket, we get together, together to do the plane, arrive together, each process is pleasant, so I would like him keep each ticket, rather than from direct throw away a long time ago. Many years later, when I look at the tickets again, I feel a little bit of memories and feelings. It's nice."

"Wei Dongshuai is more realistic."

"Does he still come into your shop often?"

"Recently, he delivered goods to the mountain. He got up early to buy vegetables in the morning market, and delivered vegetables up the mountain. He ran around in the morning and afternoon to provide more ingredients and goods to the mountain. I haven't seen him for months."

"He's got a lot of nerve serving on the mountain. I think you need to tell him that vampires in the mountains are no better than people."

"He won't listen."

"Also! Man's destiny depends on his ability to see reality clearly. What is reality? What can be touched, what can be felt, what can be recorded by scientific instruments is reality, which is simply how it exists in the environment -- why don't you think about going up the hill to deliver coffee?"

"I want to live to be old! How are things going?"

"Suddenly want to have a person to accompany in the side, miss a person, carefully think about it, not miss anyone. I don't know what it's like to be alone and frustrated after suddenly leaving. I'm used to being alone."

"Stop relying on unworthy people and figure out how to improve yourself in the future. You're coming out of your bad heart."

"Sounds like you know a lot. Your parents taught you that?"

"Vested interests are still vested interests! It's important to find the right person!"

"So do I! Nobody talks to zombies, and I'm suddenly silent, because I don't talk to dead people

. I think I should be careful wei Dongshuai, strong body will make demons and ghosts appetite big open, really become a living dead, it has no human nature."

"He was totally focused on the good life ahead of him, and people on the hill never gave credit."

"I feel privileged and lucky to have known such a clever friend!" Sheng sipped his delicious coffee.

At night, Xiao Yang stood at the door of the white bar. When he saw Sheng coming, he smiled and said, "I knew you would come soon, but I didn't expect how soon. Impressive!"

"I am kind and do not want to use the life of others to continue my youth, nor do I want to use the clever blood of others to make my thinking clear and write great works. I prefer the living to the ghosts, as long as they do what I say. In the field, for a long time I eulogized life. Life doesn't come easily. Why did I kill so much?" He pressed the ocean against the wall and said softly.

"I don't like the way you smell, but the way you act! Enjoy your food." Xiao Yang gently stroked Sheng's cheek. He could feel sheng's skin improving.

"The more I want you to hunt with me."

"I'm sure it will. There aren't too many special guests tonight. Would you like me to have dinner with you?"

"My pleasure!

Xiao Yang and rise sitting at the bar, rise can't wait to pick up a big cup of "drink" purr drink.

The corners of his mouth were stained with bright red water. Xiao Yang wiped her lips with her forefinger, sucked the stained fingers, and closed her eyes to enjoy the sweetness.

"You're like a guy who hasn't eaten in years. Xiao Yang laughed.

"When I was a kid, I was weird. Once I started eating, I would forget everything. Food has a very powerful attraction for me."

"Believe me, when the thing you need most is no longer scarce, you don't have a strong urge to acquire it, and you savor the pleasure of things more slowly and carefully!"

"That, of course, is the point of hunting." Sheng is very happy.

"Your body is not suitable for outdoor sports, a strong body is the prerequisite for hunting, I smell a smell of antibiotics on your body, what's wrong with you?" Xiao Yang wondered.

"Well, I shouldn't have kept it from you, but I was kidnapped some time ago. I was tied up and had jars of blood drawn. The needle wasn't clean and I had some symptoms.

"I used to work in a hospital, and the antibiotic smell was really bad, and I was worried about what that stuff would do to you when it got into your body. How is it now?"

"Many of the symptoms subsided, but strange things kept coming up in his neck and chest."

"They're knots, and your collar can't hide them. You are not supposed to come back so quickly. You are supposed to recover so well that when the bad men see your vigorous body, no one will dare to lay a hand on you."

"I have come back to do some business that I must leave at once, and it must be done beforehand to avoid future accidents."

"You are a very cautious man! Did you ever think that something unusual was done to make you think that Jingang City was not a trap?"

"I didn't expect it. I trusted Jingangseong too much."

"Then keep trusting. How soon will you leave?"

"Vinyl was my manager, and they killed him right after I got back, so I didn't have to go back. I was there."

"Vinyl is your reserve food?"

"I can't wait to taste him," he said with a smile as he leaned close to xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang pursed his lips, making him look more boyish. "I'll give you mine," he said.

Sheng was puzzled. "You don't? Or have I offended you?"

"You are a gentleman, giving to those who need it most." Xiao Yang said, embrace Sheng's neck, put the mouth of the cup to Sheng's lips, poured milk to Sheng. Drop by drop, the red "drink" slides down the side of the glass into the deep mouth full of hunger and thirst, full of male hormone confusion.

Xiao Yang sniffed the aroma remaining on her lips, her face acting very erratic.

"Even Vinyl doesn't do that."

"This is the kind of skill we should have. Skilled skills build character. I wonder how you can live with Vinyl. It's always weird when you get older, or when you don't, or when you're suddenly young."

"It wasn't that I had the skills, it was that he wanted to be with me, and I was so grateful to him that he was there when I needed him most, and he was gone when I forgot him."

"You're lucky! Vinyl saw you change your youth?"

"He is very dear to me, and he likes me very much when I am young."

"There was a big event before, a writer was killed, there was a young man pretending to be a middle-aged writer flute, alerted the officials, you are flute?"

"Yes! I'm standing in front of you alive."

"The officials want your blood, and the hunters will do their bidding."

"I've found out why the kidnapper took my blood."

"I'm sorry you didn't give Vinyl a chance."

"He has a mind of his own, and as someone who loves him, I should respect that. When I got back, the Vinyl items mailed to me were missing a lot of winter clothes, and they needed more care."

"It's cold here in the winter, and you don't see anybody in the next spring."

[kazti]

Reflection on Truth in Our Times

I honestly never cared too much about the press. I never thought critically on what it means to have a free press in America, as well as the challenges and sometimes demoralizing stories that come with simply reporting about the world around us. This all changed recently after I read a book written by the New York Times legal counsel David E. McGraw, Truth in Our Times. While I had never before heard of Mr. McGraw and had honestly grown a little resentful to the somewhat left leaning reporting done by the New York Times, I also think that in today's world of misinformation and alternative facts it is especially important to learn about different views of the world from non-traditional sources. I think the story of the individual who does not hide behind a pseudonym or a corporation that leads to the most honest and pure views of what the world is actually like. I am also just very curious about the current state of the world and how what the world used to be compares to what it is now. I think we are living in a time where the generations in front of us will be able to study this period in time and for the first time in history be able to give a more open minded and honest interpretation of what the precedents and actions we are setting today will actually lead to in the future. But that is enough rambling from my thoughts, I want to talk about the book.

The Contemporary Reality of the Press Truth in Our Times paints a picture of being a news organization as well as an individual reporter in a time where the news is less trusted than ever. I think Mr. McGraw uses phrasing in the book that goes along the lines of "The news is only as useful as the trust the people put in it. Even if a story is reported on perfectly, it has no effect on society if people are not willing to trust it." This erosion of trust in the news media that we have seen pop up in the age of Trump is probably one of the scariest aspects about our current times and I believe will have a very lasting impact on America's relationship with the news. There is a special kind of horror in living among a population that decides to receive all of their news through Facebook, and other social messaging apps. Clicking on articles with titles that are so vehemently click-baity is not the way people should be informed. It is shocking that even when we undoubtably know that there are bad actors all over the globe (such as Russia, but also here at home) trying to change the very way we treat and interact with one another, that we are still willingly giving our time and information to companies that have absolutely no interest in ethical reporting practices. And the worst part is that it is working. I have an upsetting number of friends that subscribe to what Occupy Democrats has to say more than the Washington Post. I have friends who love to listen to Ben Shapiro berate college liberals, but can't stand when the New York Times writes another article about a comedian who has fallen from grace from the #MeToo Movement. In the book McGraw describes how in Trump rallies reporters are some of his favorite targets to throw insults and demean. And unfortunately for the reporters that drew the last shortest straw and have to cover those rallies that means no longer being able to report the news and instead becoming part of it. The most upsetting is whenever the crowds at the Trump rallies turn to violence and actually injure the defenseless reporters who are just trying to do their job. On a related note, McGraw also talks about the experience of reporters working abroad. Kidnapping, torture and even death are not stories that anyone wants to hear, especially when it happens to innocent people in far away countries where the ability to help them is limited and sometimes non-existent. Mr. McGraw talks about the difficulty of reporting in a world where the leaders are growing increasingly more antagonistic to stories that show them in a negative light. Where in order to maintain what they see as control, strongmen leaders in parts of the world will jail reporters for the stories they write. We may live in a country where the freedom of the press is supposedly inalienable right and should be protected at all costs. But I do fear that we as a country do not stand too far away from the totalitarianism and state media that we so like dispose and say it will never happen here.

Freedom of Information Act Among more light-hearted topics I found very interesting in the book is the discussion of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A law signed by LBJ that basically dictated that the public had the right to government documents on anything they can prove exists. More often than not FOIA comes into play through information gathered from leakers and in a recent case, a dumb president tweeting out classified information. The concept of FOIA seems incredible to me. The idea that anyone from the press can simply go to the government and say "Hey I know that this thing is real, can you give me the documents for it please?" is something that I had no clue even happened in this country / would ever happen in this country. In a country where so much of what the government does is considered secret, Mr. McGraw argues that when everything is secret nothing truly is. And that hiding most information behind the pretense of national security is damaging to the publics ability to trust its government and live in a true democracy. Of course, as it is explained in the book FOIA isn't as easy as a reader of it would think it would be. An ask for documents is usually followed by a lawsuit or two and sometimes even a government that plays dumb and claims that they can neither confirm nor deny the existence of such records, even when the existence of such information was tweeted out by the president of the United States. Mr. McGraw talked about this exact case of this happening when Donald Trump tweeted out about a previously secret program being done in Iran. The New York Times jumped on and sued the federal government to get a hold of documents related to the program. The government of course responded that they could reveal whether the documents existed due to national security concerns, and an argument that basically gave the impression that "leak by tweet" is not a real way of declassifying information (which the president can do to any information they want). As an aside, it's a little ironic that the government argued that something Trump wrote on Twitter cannot be taken too seriously, even though there are too many people in this country that take those tweets and hold them to the same esteem as the Ten Commandments. Anyways, the New York Times eventually ended up winning that case and in an unusual act, actually received the previously classified documents themselves from the judge. Mr. McGraw argues that FOIA is imperfect and in most cases does not play out in the way that most news organizations would hope. But it still is an important tool for the press that has led to the ability to do some of the most important government reporting in this country such as in the fallout of the Pentagon Papers. I was also very excited to learn that the recent trove of documents about the War in Afghanistan America fought in for so long was actually acquired through FOIA by the Washington Post!

Leakers I want to take a brief moment to talk about another topic I found very fascinating in Truth in Our Times, leakers. Leakers, or whistleblowers, are those people that you hear very so often in the news. From my lifetime the first people that pop up into mind are Edward Snowden, and the Trump Ukraine whistleblowers. I personally, am amazed by the stories of those people who put the truth and the rest of society above themselves to come out and talk about injustice, and deception. These people are not protected at all from disclosing sensitive information, and usually are castigated if they are ever found. Luckily the press is protected to report on the information disclosed by whistleblowers. As long as a reporter did not get their information through illegal means they cannot be prosecuted against. Unfortunately the same cannot be the same for the whistleblower which is why Edward Snowden is still hiding somewhere in the world, and we do not know the names of the people who have come out to talk about the Trump Ukraine scandal. Mr McGraw made the argument in his book that the identities of whistleblowers are some of the best kept secrets in the New York Times, sometimes only being known to one person or even nobody, such as was in the case of the Trump tax return's from over 20 years ago, a story published by the New York Times shortly before election day 2016. Not only that but when the New York Times gets this information a very interesting dance with the government happens before they actually publish the story. In an effort to get more information and understand the information received from a whistleblower, news organizations such as the Times will contact the government, tell them what they know, and the government will do something that seems almost counter-intuitive. They give the press more information on the story they are publishing. Mr McGraw explains that the government has a few reasons for cooperation in this case, such as increase the reporters awareness about publishing potentially true concerns of national security as well as to explain away any unfinished ideas or misconceptions that might be had from the leaked information.

Calling People Liars The final topic I want to talk about that really stuck with me from Truth in Our Times was this idea of the media reporting on lying and calling it lying. In his book, Mr. McGraw asserts that the New York Time is always very hesitant to call something a lie. That the very notion of labelling a lie or a liar is delicate ground that should not be used without compelling evidence. In the world of the media a lie is defined as a mistruth, that (and this is the important part) is said with the intention to deceive. Deception and the willingness to say something even though you know it is completely incorrect is what makes calling someone a liar a serious topic. People may misremember facts from time to time or incorrectly analyze a situation. Those are falsehoods. But a lie is a lot more sinister. It is knowing that a certain piece of information is objectively false, and yet saying it anyways that makes a lie standout of a group of mistruths. We encounter lies everyday of our lives, but there is something very gut wrenching to me about when elected officials lie. These people who we (somewhat) have put into power and have given the right to control our lives should probably be the last people on earth you would want to deceive you. And yet here we are. Living at a time where the Trump administration lies about having the largest inauguration crowd in history, lies about Ukraine interfering in the 2016 elections, lies about data from NOAA on hurricanes, and this list can easily stretch to some wild lengths. I am not saying that Trump is the first president that lies from the white house. The most obvious examples that come into mind are Nixon and W, and Clinton and Obama also do not have clean records on lying. But what scares me the most is the stance of complete disregard to the facts, even though they know they are objectively true, that this administration has chosen to take. If they can lie about such trivial and obvious matters such as an inauguration crowd then what would they not lie about? And if we can no longer trust anything the government says, then now more than ever we need to defend our constitutional rights to a free press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition the government.

Furthermore It is a sad, yet probably telling story about the times we live in that I became politically active during probably the most dangerous and virulent political time in our nations history. I sometimes like to think about how the history books will depict this particular time. Will Trump be written down as the authoritarian bigot with strongman like tendencies that he is? Or will we choose to ignore the warning sirens of autocracy and write off this president as "just another white man"? With all that being said I highly recommend David McGraw's book for anyone who wants an inside look at what it is like to work in the press during the most antagonistic time against the press in American history. The book can be a little dry and repetitive at points, but I do believe it is a very important contemporary piece that adds another flavor into the pot of history we are creating during our Times.

P.S. It goes without saying that this book got me very excited about the press and whilst reading it did the unthinkable and purchased two news subscriptions. One to the New York Times, and the other to the Wall Street Journal.

[dxmedstudent]

interesting I was wondering what you thought of this; my moms is a huge advocate for women getting their education and not entirely depending on a man. however she is worried with the rise of female doctors, because where I'm from even though it's sort of sexist but pople send their daughter into medical fields (doctors, pharmacist, dentist or nurse) because it is known that job has the most job security and people don't trust men to have their daughter financially depended on ->

-> so if women do actually go into medical school or pharmacy or dentistry, they still graduate fairly young 23/25 and get married (hopefully to another doctor they met in college), majority of them never specialize even (or even work) and the ones who do specialize in family medicine because it’s short and easy. so you see even though people want a job thats good for their daughter, they don’t want them to go the whole mile in order to take care of the kids.That’s an interesting discussion, so I’d like to thank you for bringing it up. It’s a hard question, with no easy or definite answer. On a wider level, medicine is a vocational degree. And whilst there are no rules or laws in place about who should study medicine, we could argue that people have an ethical duty to at least consider if they want to do it. Because if too many people who don’t want to actually be doctors take up all the places, you’ll end up with no actual doctors, and lots of people disappearing off with their state-funded education. Now, in reality, people have all sorts of different reasons for studying medicine then not staying in it. Some were kind of forced into it by their parents, or pressured into it by their school, and it took them a while to realise that clinical medicine is just not for them. Sometimes even people who went into it with their eyes open, genuinely feeling they want to do medicine can realise halfway through that it’s just not for them. And a small number do the degree because they can, and they know it’s a good qualification, and they hope to go into banking afterwards or earn their Mrs degree or something else entirely. Now, I personally believe it’s ethically better if you only start studying medicine if you actually have some interest in it. You may not guarantee that you will stay in medicine, but there’s absolutely no point in going in knowing it’s not what you want to do. Because medicine is stressful, and hard, and you’ll get so much more out of university if you pick something you really want to do. And if you want to go into banking or consulting etc, you can do just as well going to a prestigious university and studying a subject you actually like, as if you did medicine. The reason why things are complicated, is because in my experience, many people who genuinely passionately wanted to do medicine also drop out. And from the outside, you’d never be able to tell. And going back to the people who are pressured by their parents; I don’t think it’s fair to be harsh on them, either, given how big an impact your parent’s views and approval can have on your life when you are 17. I can completely understand why some of my peers  went that way. I’m happy to report that when hese people get a bit older, they have more independence and a chance to work out what works for them. And when they find themselves a stable, decent job in the field they actually love it’s much easier for their parents to accept they don’t want to be doctors. Because I think that a lot of the traditional parents are coming from a place of love when they advise their children about their future. Most want their children to have more stable lives, and less hardships than they did. Most parents hope their children will find stable, well paying work which will allow them financial security and independence (and protect them against hardship), and medicine being a job with that reputation, (and a decent amount of social cachet) is desirable to many people for that reason. Unfortunately, medicine is also stressful, involves moving around, way too many exams, being sued, and generally has lots of bad points that the public don’t really consider enough, because they focus on the ‘good side’.I can see why your mum is concerned; although there are more women (which is good), there’s also a culture surrounding female education that means that it’s important, but only until you can get married and have kids, after which you’re expected to focus only on this. And your mum (and others) worry that there may be lots of women in med school, but if most of them end up leaving medicine, then what’s the point? And what do you do if you end up with fewer doctors because they all leave? And I can see that concern, and I think it mirrors some of the concerns people have here (though here the concern is usually about women doctors working part-time, or all genders leaving).You cleverly mention what the parents want for the girls who study medicine. But the exciting thing is, those girls will have opinions of their own about what they want to do. And with each generation, they will get bolder, more determined, and have more opportunities and choice, because of the efforts of those that went before them. I remember one of my female lecturers talking about her mother, who was a female consultant in a time when that was more unusual, and some of the difficulties she faced. She shared this in an ancient lecture theatre, which now contains more women than men; something its founders would likely never have imagined! Progress happens, it just works differently in different places.Even of those girls whose parents advise leaving medicine, some of them will still stay in medicine. And if they are supported, that number will be higher. Some need more support; from their partner, from their community, and from their family. It’s tough, because what that situation needs is much slower and harder to achieve: a cultural shift that goes beyond valuing women’s education because it grants them the opportunity to get a husband, but recognising that it grants her even more: independence, satisfaction in her life, the chance to make a difference. And when that follows, society can work on the next step, which is understanding that women and men, everyone needs a manageable work-life balance. And that by allowing workers to be more flexible we will lose less of them to child-rearing or illness etc. Now, I think most countries still have far to go on this front; even those countries that are good at giving lip-service to women working in respected or traditionally male fields, often don’t take enough steps to make sure women coming back after maternity leave, looking after kids, or looking after a sick relative are supported enough. And many sysyems don’t do enough to support people who need to go part time, whether for their health, or family reasons. On the other hand, I can see why people want to spend time with their kids; that’s something that happens here, too. And it’s not just women, either. Our male peers also want to be more involved in their childrens’ lives. Our generation is more likely to take advantage of shared parental leave so that dads can spend time with their babies, too. Some of my male colleagues have also complained that they feel they spend more time with other people’s kids than their own. I’ve seen plenty of my male peers stress over work-life balance and seeing enough of their children. Medicine is time consuming,  and many of us wonder if we are getting the balance right. So I can see why the parents you describe would want their kids to take the easy route; nobody wants to see their kid go through more difficulty than they have to. Even though it’s rather presumptive of parents to decide what’s best for their grown-up children, it can still be hard for parents to realise where the boundaries are, particularly if you’re in a culture where the older generation is meant to be consulted as an authority. My culture is similar, and my relatives give their opinions so freely, I imagine it would horrify my English friends! Nevertheless, the younger generation have to choose what is best for them, as much as they can.Even here in the UK, we are getting more doctors working part time (both male and female, but often female), in order to spend more time with their kids. It was always expected (according to my middle aged medical family friends) that if doctors got married, one of them would go part time or go into GP so that the other could focus on their career whilst the first partner was more stable in their children’s lives. And you’ll find it easy to guess which gender that role usually fell to! Women. Because even until recently (and arguably even now), it’s still seen as wrong for a woman to be quite as committed to her career as a man is expected to be. And if the family unit have to sacrifice career progression for the sake of family, it’s still expected for the woman to be the one doing it. Part of it is direct pressure from family, friends and work, but much of it is cultural; if we’re surrounded by these ideas then as we grow up, we teach boys that their career is paramount, whilst we teach girls that family should be the only thing that matters. But things are changing; many of my male colleagues spend almost as much time as my female colleagues talking about their plans for family, and how they plan to balance things. And many of my female colleagues have set themselves high career goals regardless of where they stand on having kids. But, even if we get to the point where men and women are equally likely to stay home with the kids or go part time, we will still have to adapt our workforce around the fact that people will want a better work-life balance; we can’t just pretend we are still in the ‘good old days’ when women stayed home, and men worked silly shifts at work, and could afford to because their wives basically did everything else for them. People rarely live like this now; both men and women (and everyone in between) have a lot more on their plate than they used to. And you know what? The ‘good old days’ were never that good; many of our peers are the kids of medics who worked under unforgiving rotas. Ask a doctor’s kid from those days how much they saw their dads or mums, and many will tell you hat they hope to do parenting very differently. If I had to summarise it, It’d be this: I don’t think girls should be pressured into going to med school for a Mrs degree, (or that boys should be pressured into being doctors, either), but the factors surrounding why parents value educaiton but value their daughters looking after the children far more, are complex and rooted in culture. Cultures can and do change, but it takes time, and it takes people trying new things for others to see that it’s not so bad after all.

[pixelgrotto]

RIP Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog comic (1992-2017)  After 25 years and nearly 300 issues, Archie’s long-running Sonic the Hedgehog comic was officially cancelled earlier this week. The writing’s been on the wall for a while now, since the comic went on a forced hiatus several months ago and none of the creators were allowed to publicly discuss it due to ongoing negotiations between Archie and Sega. But this Thursday, the book’s final fate was declared, and it looks like the Freedom Fighters - who once announced that they could handle anything - couldn’t quite beat the threat of cancellation. A lot of people dunk on the Archie Sonic comic for being overly convoluted, going through some pretty low points or appealing primarily to furries, and all of these things are kinda true, except for maybe the furry one. But warts and all, Archie Sonic is a glorious beast of monstrously complex proportions. First of all, let the fact that Sonic holds the record for having the longest-running North American comic for a licensed character sink in. Seriously, this series ran from 1992 to 2017 and nearly reached 300 freaking issues. In a time when most comics from Marvel and DC can barely reach double digits before either being renumbered to generate a temporary boost in sales or flat-out cancelled, Sonic the Hedgehog kept chugging along, stealthily reinventing itself from its original status as a slapdash funny book to an ongoing saga that manifested lore so deep that it warranted the release of an entire encyclopedia to help people keep everything straight. 

What’s even more interesting is that Archie Sonic became the one place where you could still see characters carried over from the DiC Saturday morning Sonic cartoon show, which was produced in 1993. The show, affectionately dubbed SatAM by everyone who watched it back in the day, frankly doesn’t hold up that well and is a good example of nostalgia goggles at work. It had an incredible theme song, though (SONIC! HE CAN REALLY MOVE! SONIC! HE’S GOT AN ATTITUDE! SONIC! HE’S THE FAAAASTEST THING ALIVE), and the show did do an admirable job of developing a backstory for a mascot who, at the time, had no characterization other than the fact that he was fast and collected rings. SatAM fixed this by putting Sonic in the surprisingly dark world of Mobius, a place ruled by Dr. Robotnik, a dictator who had “roboticized” the population by turning them into droids. It also gave the hedgepig a variety of characters to play off of, like Princess Sally, Antoine the cowardly French fox, Bunnie the half-roboticized rabbit and Rotor the walrus. Along with Tails, this lot was collectively referred to as the Knothole Freedom Fighters.  Archie Sonic got its start telling stories with the Freedom Fighters while they were still on air, and even after the show was cancelled, the comic continued using them, essentially turning itself into season three of the cartoon. As the decades passed, the SatAM characters and story threads evolved and changed in wondrously unexpected ways - Sonic and Sally fell in love, the original Dr. Robotnik was killed and replaced with a robotic version of himself from an alternate dimension, Bunnie and Antoine got married and Mobius was revealed to be a future version of Earth that was attacked by the Xorda, aliens who had unleashed gene bombs on the planet, mutating the wildlife into anthropomorphic animals. (This was my goddamn favorite batshit crazy bit of Sonic comic lore ever.) Furthermore, the comic increasingly began introducing more elements from the actual Sonic video games, which had finally developed deeper stories of their own thanks to the advancement of technology. So you had stuff like Sonic and the Freedom Fighters teaming up to fight Perfect Chaos and meeting Silver the Hedgehog and Blaze the Cat. It was an unusual, unique combination of Western and Eastern concepts melding together in one pictorial arena, and it made Archie Sonic feel special. 

Speaking of the games, the book was also special because it damn well carried Sonic’s presence in North America during the years when the blue guy wasn’t starring in many video games (the Sega Saturn era) and couldn’t star in any decent video games (the Sonic ‘06 era). Even when Sega was releasing shovelware that damaged the brand, Archie Sonic kept pumping out issues, and its sheer determination to keep going won it legions of dedicated fans. Many of these people, including myself, got stuck on the comic at a young age and stayed long-term. I personally started picking up issues in 1994 or 1995, so basically only three or so years after the book was out. I think I was seven years old. A few years later, I got a subscription and had the comic delivered to my mailbox every month. (I still remember my first issue - it was number 41, when Sonic, Sally and that douchebag skunk Geoffrey St. John went to the Zone of Silence to rescue King Acorn.) The subscription continued until I was in college, and only ended around my junior year, when I forgot to renew it because I was too busy applying to go abroad after graduation. 

In short, I subscribed to a periodical about a damn blue hedgehog for a large majority of my life. Even when I stopped regularly reading around issue 180, I always kept abreast of the book’s developments (like that crossover with MEGAMAN!) and told myself that I’d eventually catch up on the stories I missed, likely in the excellent Sonic Select and Sonic Archives trade paperbacks that Archie was publishing. And there were tons of others like me. The Archie Sonic community is such a vibrant one, filled with 90s kids who grew up on this book and even older folks like the crazy Dan Drazen, a 60-something librarian who wrote the most detailed (and overly picky) online reviews of every issue. Many of these fans went on to work for the comic at one point or another, like the incredible Dawn Best and fan favorite Ian Flynn, who swooped in as a writer in the late 2000s and saved the book when it was suffering from a spell of plodding stories. For a lot of us, Archie Sonic was the preferred Sonic canon, and we got pissed when Sega pulled awful jump the shark moments outta their butts - like having Sonic hook up with human princesses in his broken 2006 game - when there was a wealth of solid lore in this weird little comic coming out in America that they always seemed content to ignore.

In fact, the only time Sega really paid close attention to the book was when Ken Penders launched a lawsuit against it, which may have been a contributor to its eventual cancellation. People better than me have already scripted lengthy writeups about Mr. Penders, and I encourage you to read this extremely in-depth take on the whole fiasco, which is a bizarre tale of copyright arguments and delusions of grandeur worthy of any John Grisham novel. But in a nutshell, Ken was a former writer who helped guide Archie Sonic away from simple gag strips and into the realm of full-on adventure tales. His control over the book was major until he was fired, and a few years later, he went on a vehement quest to prove that he owned all characters he had created while working for Archie, including series mainstays like Julie-Su, Knuckles the Echidna’s girlfriend. He ended up suing Archie multiple times and won on legal loopholes, which prompted him to start attacking the book’s current team while declaring that a buttload of barely-related story concepts were his. He also tried suing Sega when Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood came out, claiming that the enemies in the game were too similar to ones he had whipped up. Archie eventually had to come up with a plot device to kill off (trap in another dimension, really) all of the characters he had created during his tenure, and eventually they instituted a full reboot to wipe continuity clean and remove all traces of the lawsuit from history. Unfortunately, the legal issues did some pretty heavy damage to Archie’s relationship with Sega, who were reportedly pissed that the American comic company had let things get so screwed up. And I don’t blame them. To the Sonic fan community, Ken Penders is largely loathed as a megalomaniac who sabotaged a long-running comic for personal gain. But he doesn’t deserve all of the blame, and he did put out some good stories in the day before going bonkers. Archie’s also at fault, both due to their not-so-great freelancer deals as well as their incompetence at handling lawsuits. (At one point the company even fired their entire legal team and hired new attorneys, yeesh.) In recent years, Archie also seems to be terrible at handling their finances, even though they’re currently spearheading Riverdale, a successful show on the CW that’s made all of their high school characters into hot, emo Millennials. (I call it the “Archie Sex Show” in my head.) I’ve heard rumors that company management wants to streamline their output to ONLY focus on Riverdale-related stuff, and seeing as how the Ken Penders business was a tremendous waste of time that ripped some large holes in their relationship with Sega, it only makes sense that both companies would decide to part ways.  So where do we go from here? Well, it was suddenly announced today that IDW Publishing would be the ones picking up the Sonic license for a relaunch of the book in 2018. IDW’s a fit place for Sonic, since they currently publish the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…which Archie once owned the license for. (Funny how these things go in circles, eh?) Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the current arc that was going on in the Archie books - a charming retelling of the Sonic CD story - is going to go unfinished, and I’m also fearful that we’ll be saying goodbye to the DiC Freedom Fighters. I’d LOVE to be proven wrong, and it would warm my heart to see Princess Sally, Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine, Rotor and Nicole survive a change in publishers. But since Sega’s never “officially” acknowledged those characters in a game (except for Sonic Spinball, which was made by an American studio and doesn’t really count) they’re likely going to be classified as expendable cannon fodder that are no longer relevant. There is some hope, though. Perhaps a miracle will occur and IDW will have the good sense to re-hire guys like Ian Flynn or maintain some semblance of the continuity that an entire generation knows and loves. Until the day we know for sure arrives, I’ll just have to re-read my old issues, revel in the glory of covers drawn by SPAZ, laugh at insane crossovers like the time Sonic met Spawn, and remember an era when a hedgehog with attitude and his Knothole friends kicked Dr. Robotnik’s butt and brought me twenty plus years of wonderful adventures.  For Mobius! For freedom!

The header image of the Archie Sonic cast was drawn by darkspeeds and found on Deviantart. The cover images are just a few of my favorites from the days when I was subscribed to the book, and were taken from Comic Vine and Cover Browser.