Leaderboard

To anyone who has made something or attempted to make something, you know this feeling too well. "Can I really do this? Who am I kidding? I don't know what I'm doing." I dabble in a lot of things. From web development, video editing, animation, web comics, making games, photography etc. But I never called myself a web developer, video editor, animator, artist, game developer, photographer. Because I never really felt I was one. I thought since I was a beginner and not as good as others, I shouldn't call myself a (insert title here). As it would be insulting to the REAL (insert title here). No matter what my accomplishments were, no matter how much experience I got, I was just a wannabe, a fake, an impostor. But then I realized.... you are what you do. Some people talk the talk and some walk the walk. Some think they are cool while some ARE cool. If you made a website, you are a web developer. If you made a web comic, you are an artist. If you took a photo, you are a photographer and so on. Many if not all veteran creatives went through this stage. Where they doubted themselves. But chose to keep going. And in the end, the feeling of being a wannabe disappeared. They became a real legitimate (insert title here). Have you ever felt impostor syndrome? How did you overcome it?

I was reading a blog post from a blog I like, The Drunken Anime Blog, when I had an idea. “I haven’t even started to watch some popular anime’s like Attack On Titan and Fruits Basket yet, what if I reviewed them like she does?” I usually just use a status update, but I think more people will see if I make blog posts. Good idea, right? Right. Let’s do this. But then I realized a problem. Two, actually. Number one: “Thoughts from a sad, anime-loving lump” doesn’t exactly sound like a reviews blog. It sounds like a blog about my life. Which, it is. Number two: this is my complaints about life blog. So, I decided to start a new blog. Please comment what I should call it, because I have no ideas. Anyway, Love and UwUs, OtakuKid.

Hello everyone, today I’ll be reviewing episode one of Sword Art Online. Let’s do this, shall we? As soon as it starts, within the first 20 seconds, I am HOOKED, and I can tell I will enjoy this. Unlike One Piece, I really like the art style of this. I guess I’m just into this sort of thing. Seriously, by the time the dude has fired up his RP headset, I’m shaking with excitement. The concept, the art style, the characters, it’s all awesome. For some reason, other VRV users have so many negative comments. Stuff like “this is trash.” And “why am I rewatching this sucky show? Guess I’m that bored...” Then again, VRV users always have something negative to say, regardless of how good a show is. A bit later on, and I’m really starting to like Kirito. He’s really nice, although something’s a bit... off about him. I’m really hoping quarantine makes humanity design some sort of huge game like SAO. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same, but it’ll still be awesome. Hopefully, they don’t trap us in this real-world version, though! Honestly, the reveal of Kayaba wasn’t a surprise to me at all. If them not being able to logout really was a bug, the writers would have missed an awesome chance. Plus, the whole story is centered around them being trapped in Aincrad. Klein getting left behind by Kirito is a bit devastating, but I’m sure we’ll see him again. I hope they’re a ship, since I always love LGBTQ+ representation in my fandoms. (Plus, cause I just love their dynamic.) Overall, even if it was a bit predictable, it was really good. So many elements added to the enjoyableness of it. I’ll give this episode 5 out of 5 stars. See you next week for episode two!

This is a saying in technology that basically means, poor input will always lead to poor output. That a computer only gives out what you put in. But I find this applies to humans too. Especially in terms of creativity. Creators are consumers, but not all consumers are creators. Before you make something you need ideas. So how do you get ideas? The easiest way is to consume media. If you want to make anime but have no ideas whatsoever, watch anime. If you want to make a game but have no ideas, play games. Eventually inspiration will strike and the ideas will come. Creators are fans too. We are just fans who love something so much we decided to make our own. While most fans are happy being consumers. And so the saying, garbage in garbage out comes to play. If you consume crappy stuff you will make crappy stuff. I am a big believer in not watching bad anime, playing bad games, watching bad movies, etc. As a creator it will make you a bad one. As a consumer it will lower your standards. That is why I started reading/playing Steins; Gate. Said to be the best visual novel of all time. And right away I already learned something. Compared to my visual novel (Super Detectives), Steins; Gate had more dialogue. It had deeper writing. Take note I never committed to a visual novel before. This will probably be the first and last visual novel I will consume. At least it was a very good one.

Cosplay has been a part of many peoples lives for some time now. What was once a daft little past-time where high-schoolers would wear a cheap costume-shop wig and a garment hastily put together with hot glue, to these amazing full armour builds and becoming internet famous and even making careers out of it, cosplay surely has gone a long way, hasn't it? We all seen these amazing fictional characters on our TV screens. Whether it be 2D animation or a character model in a game it is as if we are constantly 'feeling' all kinds of textures with our own eyes. It is amazing how animation works to use clothing and hair to create a sense a realism that blends beautifully within the game's/show's environment. 'Wow, his scarf is floating in the wind.' Cosplayers can look at a character and compare a character's costume to real life physics. Sometimes the materials are hard and shiny, which is what is typical in armour. Other times there might be stripes or patterns. Maybe its pleated or wavy. You cant physically touch it for yourself but just by looking you can absolutely tell! Its amazing how one can translate something from fiction to real life. These people can take days, weeks, months, even years, to create a costume. They can also be brought too. Some newcomers might just see costume making as sewing but in reality that is only part of the hobby. Cosplayers make props, they learn makeup, style wigs, create armour, jewellery, accessories and surprisingly many of these people are self-taught. 'But I cant sew...' That is ok! We all have to start somewhere! No one becomes an expert over night. I have been cosplaying for 12 years and I am still learning. I still make mistakes all the time and there is a lot of sewing jargon I dont understand the definition of. I have been learning as I go along. There are plenty of tutorials online, and maybe you have friends or family that can help. Maybe just buy some clothes from a thrift ship and alter them, like dye or paint them. Not only there is the joy of the creation process, but also the sense of achievement of completing the costume! It doesnt end here! Consider showing your work off at a convention! The best feeling ever is making people happy because they got to meet their favourite character! Share the happiness! Its a hobby that makes many people happy!