Of Humble Thanks, Otakon, and a Really Dumb Decision by Smash Boards

Hey. How's it going?

I guess I'm doing okay. It's been nearly three weeks, and I'm..well, I guess it's starting to sink in more. Once again, I just stopped and kept thinking, "I'm really going to miss him." It's beginning to feel real. My only brother is dead. That's...yeah. You probably won't be seeing any other tributes, since I put my all into the behemoth from the other week. Nonetheless, Michael will be mentioned if he was involved with a game in some sort, so you can keep on the lookout for those cameos.

Before I move on, I have to give a big shoutout to the massive response to my tribute. Aside from the comments, I had a bunch of heartfelt replies on Facebook and tales from my parents of coworkers who were incredibly moved. It should go without saying that I'm incredibly thankful for all of you being there for us during this time.

In any case, you can think of this as a quick "What's going on in my life" post. In other words, some of the things I might have promised on my very first post. Plus, I really gotta get these things out there. Let's get this thing rolling.

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You might've been wondering if, after everything that's happened, I'm going to end up writing about this year's Otakon. In truth, it's still up in the air. On one hand, obviously having to deal with the death of my only brother is going to take away my enthusiasm of a convention. Plus, I'm starting my first year of college next week, so I'm not really sure if I have the time for it. On the other hand, there are so many things I really want to go over and share with people that I can't just let it go to waste.

Unfortunately, things might suffer on the aesthetic side. Very shortly after the convention, I realized that I had taken all the photos AND the videos sideways, which I was really cheesed about. I can fix the photos, but I'm getting the sense I can't do the same for the videos. Even worse, this all depends if I can salvage my phone,which I broke the other day and had stored said photos/videos. It's a stressful time, to be sure.

I'm thinking that in the event in case everything is safe, I might end up writing up a seperate entry showing off all the cosplay/wacky fire alarm hijinks on tape/awesome swag (the posters I got kick ass! I gotta hang them up soon). As for the con itself, I think in this situation a brief overview might do the trick:

-Of course, the whole con was a blast. Didn't have the same shock value as last year did, but I think I ended up having more fun this year.

-Cosplaying as Lloyd Irving (the character up above) was a pain in terms of getting dressed, but it was worth it seeing people recognize my costume. To the Raine Sage who ran up to me with a Monster Book in hand, you're still in my nightmares!

-Of all the famous anime guest stars that came this year, I only got to meet Maile Flanagan (voice of Naruto Uzumaki). I'll be honest in saying I'm not really into Naruto anymore, but as someone who had his first taste for the series from the dub (a fact that surprised her), it was really cool meeting up one of the dub actors I used to read about. I got her to yell a quote my Mom made up when she watched the first fifty episodes with me ("Mommy Hug Jutsu!"), and I recorded it on my now deceased phone.

If there is anything I can salvage from it, please let it be that.

-The Dealer Room was as huge as ever, but I didn't end up spending a lot like I thought I would. It was kind of more of the same from last year. Still had a really good selection, though. Come to think of it, they had these really neat dragon figurines I wanted to get. Maybe next year..

-On the brighter side, the Artist's Alley was MUCH better then last year. They had everything from awesome posters to the softest plushies ever. If only I had more dollar bills with me...yeah, heads up to you newbies. Most of the guys there don't use cards, and they really don't like it when you take pictures.

In any case, to whoever won the giant Shadow of the Colossus piece in the bidding area...you have my jealously until the end of time. At least I found a Mother 3 poster.

-I met several friends that I knew online at the convention! I'll be referring to them by their net names. I met Baka (Of fellow amateur gaming blog, Insert Disc), who I met at the absolutely huge Barnes and Noble down the harbor and we joked over how much the "Manga Cows" had ripped through the manga aisle. Then there was lwelyk (also of Insert Disc), who proved to be my superior in Mario Kart. Lastly, there was Shyguy, a fellow One Piece fanatic. Still wish we got to play Brawl together. Nice meeting all of you!

*Manga cows are a term for readers who simply plop down in the manga aisle and read through the volumes while not buying them and simultaneously obstructing broswing space. Many people complain about this online, but surprisingly enough I've never encountered them in the bookstores I shop in. Was I in for a rude awakening in Baltimore...*

-I went into the video game room and played Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This is something I'm going to get into much detail later, but I really do not care at all for the competitive scene for the series. Maybe it's different in real life, but I absolutely cannot stand the pretentious mindset that I've seen online. Man, those freaking Melee fanatics...

Not here. All of the guys I've battled with both of my years at Otakon are incredibly friendly and have amazing sportsmanship, one of who told me that handing him a ticket I had purchased earlier was "the nicest thing ever anyone ever did for me." Best match by far this year was a really close match (In the Pictochat stage, of all places!) with the last two players being me (as Olimar) and a guy wearing a Sonic the Hedgehog hoodie (guess who he was playing as?) I lost, anyway, but man...super fun match.

Browsing around the room, I also sat down and played the eccentric Battle Stadium D.O.N, a goofy Japanese crossover fighting game featuring the cast of Dragon Ball, Naruto, and (my favorite!) One Piece. And then lwelyk and I sat down to play Mario Kart: Double Dash!! along with a girl who believed Ness was from Paperboy. I'll be seeing her in a dark corner later.

-Much of the cosplay was great this year, aside from a rising increase in male crossdressing. Highlights include a pack of Pikmin, a 2D cutout of the walking Chozo statue from Super Metroid, and astoundingly enough, Usopp's Chopperman alter ego, Usobadaba, from One Piece.

-I attended two panels. Bad, Anime, Bad!!, of which the goal is to present obscure, horrendous anime, was a huge hit with the audience. Our dose of comedy was some godawful adaptation of Frankenstein that featured hilarious commentary by the host. We enjoyed it so much that I wished he had showed more pieces of torture, but time constraints wouldn't allow it. Hope he'll be back next year!

Then there was Ten Things You Didn't Know About Dragon Ball, hosted by veteran Dragon Ball fansite Daizenshuu EX. It was a super fun panel that actually touched upon certain issues I was wondering about (mainly the "Budhiyasa" character and a certain tidbit about Android 17). A particularly cool moment was that one of the hosts, Meri, was the webmaster of "Temple O'Trunks." On that site were the infamous, "Trunks Feature Films", of which were screenshots depicting the lives of Dragon Ball action figures. These little skits actually had a huge impact on the games my friends and I used to play down in my basement in terms of, what else, humor! So essentially, someone who had influenced my life was right there on stage. Wish I got the chance to say something.

And while I'm at it, the way they went about the "Dragon Ball AF" rumor can only be described as genius.

Thanks to them, I've been on a huge Dragon Ball kick. Just what I needed...Budokai 3, here I come!

-Someone pulled the Fire Alarm. The crowds were huge. I can only imagine the reactions of drivers in traffic witnessing people in fairy costumes prancing along the street. Super crazy stuff.

So yeah, really fun time.

I'll have a big writeup next year, promise.

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So I found out something the other day that really pissed me off.

Smash World Forums, a once beautiful place now ravaged by douchebag tournyfags, had the brilliant idea of archiving every post and topic prior to 2007 as of last month. In other words, if it existed before that period of time, you can't view it anymore.

Ugh.

I understand the issues of space, but holy shit, did they really have to resort to doing that? Man, I remember back when Smash Boards was actually tolerable to mingle in, was populated by some really charismatic personalities and had an awesome sense of humor. Now it's just a haven for discussing competitive Smash, not to mention it's filled with douchebag tournyfags frothing at the mouth at how much Brawl was an insult to all of humanity.

No matter what anyone there now would tell you, the true highlight of Smash Boards were the miscellaneous ones. I don't think I'm ready to discusss just about every one of them, but did I love the Creative Minds board or what? This was back when, as far as I knew, fanfiction wasn't used to craft fangirls' effing disturbing fantasies. The Endless SSBM Story. Kirby's Quest. Academy of Smash. Not to mention all the ones my friends and I made. Now most of those fanfiction are locked away, and it would've been all of them if one of them hadn't been bumped up by a stray poster two years back.

While reading through the Academy of Smash, I found that while there was an obvious childish tone in the writing, I still found myself enjoying it. A harsh contrast to what I thought I had learned over time. It's true that except for our true passions, many of the things we enjoy as children often lose their effectiveness as we grow older. We can never really play with toys again, and we can't be expected to just plop down and enjoy an episode of Sesame Street. Yet here I was, engrossing myself in a piece of fanfiction I used to read when I was eleven years old. Twelve years old. And it faded into disuse after that.

The author's living it up as a well-known artist on DeviantArt. I hope he's doing well. It's been a while since we talked.

I think what I'm trying to get across here is that though much of what we enjoyed as children might not entertain us the way they used to, I'd still like to keep them around. I'd like to look back on them, just point and say, "Hey, I used to really love that. It inspired this piece of my life." I mean, granted, The Endless SSBM Story was a really funky piece of work (If it ever sees the light of day again, oh the joy I'll have discussing its virtues) but damn I remember how I looked forward to reading to reading a new entry every morning. The value of patience!

In any case, there's a ray of hope. The announcement regarding this states, "I hope as technology progresses/our server farm expands/and mainly VB improves itself to restore it at some point." Somehow, I get the feeling they're not really going to care whether or not these posts remain archived, but one can only pray.

Childhood was the greatest. It's best, however, that we move on with the feelings and memories we can craft today.

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So, what's gonna happen next?

I'm not too sure, at this point. I can can confirm that the long-awaited Kirby's Adventure will be making its debut on here next month, and I'd like to write a review for that neat Tales of Vesperia game I've been playing through. I think what I really need at this point is a more consistent schedule, both on here and in real life. I don't want to be stuck talking about just one game all the time!

So I guess what I'd like to say is that I'd like to update more.

Sounds good to me. See you later.