Yuki The Snowman

Zelda Wynn Valdes: The Mother of Bunny Girls

The iconic bunny girl suit: one of anime’s prominent items of fan service.

Since its debut in a particular historic student animated film in 1983, countless characters have worn the alluring outfit, ranging from Bulma from Dragon Ball, Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Saki from Girlfriend Girlfriend, and Mai Sakurajima from Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.

Even characters who’ve never worn it in canon material can be seen donning the outfit in other media. Got a “boring” female lead whose people think her only personality trait is rambling about the bonds she holds dear to her? Throw a bunny girl suit on her in your gacha game. People will look over the flatness of her character ~~(and physical)~~ traits! Is she the toxic ex-girlfriend type who everyone in the fandom hates? Just make a figurine of her as a bunny girl. Everyone will love her and forget how she manipulated her ex-boyfriend!

Sex sells, you know?

Of course, the origins of the bunny girl suit of anime can be traced to the Playboy Bunny’s waitress uniform: a symbol of sensuality in its own right. Everyone knows that! Countless women wear it for Halloween or at a weekend anime convention. It’s the perfect way for ladies to show off their confident, playful side. That’s a known fact. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t know about the man behind Playboy: Hugh Hefner and his impact on erotic and gentlemanly media.

But did you know that a Black woman designed the bunny girl suit?

Meet Zelda Wynn Valdes: An extraordinary Foundation Black American. Without her talents and a keen eye for fashion design, we wouldn’t have cute and sexy fictional and real-life bunny girls for us straight, healthy heterosexual men to fawn over!

Okay, but for real, despite her grand achievements in fashion, pop culture, and most importantly, the Black community, few people know about her. I want to change that – not as a mere anime fan who loves bunny girls – but as a Black man who’s proud of the achievements of his people and what we’ve done for the world.

In this article, we’ll go over the extraordinary life of Zelda Wynn Valdes, her impact on the Black community, and how a chance suggestion from Playboy director Victor Lowens inspired Hefner to hire Zelda to design the Playboy Bunny outfit. You know, the suit that’d forever changed pop culture and anime fan service trends.

If all that sounds great, then let’s get right into things!

Part One: The Woman Herself

Zelda Barbour Wynn Valdes was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, on June 28th, 1905, to Cuban father, Jose Valdes, and Foundational Black American mother Ann Barbour. Despite her mixed heritage, Zelda identified and connected with her Foundational Black American roots. While most of her youth and general life are unknown (due to Zelda being a private person and the lack of record keeping), she held an affinity towards sewing, pattern design, and the musical arts.

By age 13, she was already a skilled pianist and seamstress who impressed her family with her talents. Her beloved grandmother, who once doubted that she could design a dress for a woman of her tall frame, was so impressed by the final product Zelda made for her that she was buried in it.

After graduating high school in 1923, Zelda moved to White Plains, New York, to work at her uncle’s tailoring shop. In addition to working there, she also worked at a white-owned boutique. There, she worked her way up to selling, alterations, and later becoming the store’s first Black salesperson and tailor. Zelda stated that working at the white-owned shop “wasn’t a pleasant time, but the idea was to see what I could.”

The idea paid off as by 1935, she opened her own business in White Plains, where she focused on women’s alteration. By using Black-owned publications to advertise her services, she expeditiously built her client list and reputation as a highly-skilled designer among Black women.

In 1948 she opened her own boutique, “Chez Zelda,” in Manhattan on Broadway and West 158th Street (modern-day Washington Heights): becoming the first Black person to do so. Zelda’s reputation among influential Black celebs and high society circles exploded as time passed, with many noticing her work.

Black celebrities of the time, such as actress Dorothy Jean Dandridge, jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, and Maria Cole, hired Zelda for her services: furthering her credibility. In 1994, Zelda told The New York Times that she only fitted Fitzgerald once in the 12 years they worked together. “I had to do everything by imagination for her,” Valdes stated. She achieved this by looking at recent pictures of Fitzgerald in the newspapers and taking notice of any changes.

As the late 40s went on, Zelda focused on designing dresses for special events and serving her client’s needs by working with their personalities. At the same time, she became president of the New York chapter of the National Associate of Fashion and Accessory Designers (N.A.F.A.D.): A Black fashion designers’ think tank.

In the 1950s, Zelda moved her shop to 151 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, hiring nine seamstresses in the process. Taking advantage of the prime New York neighborhood, Zelda made her brand more exclusive by charging over $1000 (or $12,000 in 2023 adjusted for inflation) per dress. The Black women who wanted her services didn’t care to pay the high prices; Zelda’s shop was a safe haven against the white supremacy they would have faced otherwise at white-owned boutiques.

As time passed, Zelda’s talents were in higher demand by more and more Black celebrities. Joyce Bryant, a megastar singer in the Black grassroots of the time, was one of them. Known for her sex appeal and many nicknames such as “The Bronze Blond Bombshell” and “That Voice You’ll Always Remember,” Joyce had landed a photo shoot with LIFE Magazine in 1953. Understanding that this would be a significant career milestone for her, she hired Zelda to design a dress for the photo shoot.

Before meeting Zelda, Joyce was known for dressing modestly due to her strict religious upbringing. Zelda noticed this and created a dress for the singer to expose said curves to the world. The dress?

The iconic low-cut skin-tight gown – Zelda’s trademark dress design.

It was a massive hit. All eyes were on Joyce as millions of LIFE readers fell in love with her and her dress. From this, Joyce Byrant’s career skyrocketed as she became one of the early pioneers of Foundational Black American sex appeal.

As for Zelda, her reputation and fame grew stronger as the 50s continued. There was no doubt that Zelda was an accomplished woman at this point in her life. She was undoubtedly among the most successful and respected people in the fashion world and the Black community.

However, what the future had in store for Zelda would change not only her career but also change pop and anime culture forever…

Part Two: The Birth of the Bunny Girl (Suit)

As Zelda’s reputation as a master designer grew, an up-and-coming adult gentleman publication from Chicago caught wind of her flair for capturing feminine sexiness through fashion.

In 1958, Hugh Hefner commissioned Zelda to design the world’s first Playboy Bunny waitress outfits for his chain of Playboy Clubs on the strong suggestion of Playboy director Victor Lownes. Playing with the fact that rabbits symbolize sexuality and sexual nature, Herfner confidently believed she could translate his desires into reality with her talents.

So, was Zelda able to deliver?
If you said no, I need to ask you to put down the pipe and bottle for once in your pathetic life…

The outfit was first previewed on Playboy’s Penthouse: a variety talk show hosted by Hefner. It would officially debut on February 29th, 1960, in Playboy Magazine, where it received high praise. Valdes’s original design of the Playboy Bunny suit differs from its contemporary version as the ears were much larger and lacked the iconic bow tie and cuffs (they were added on later). Regardless, it was a success.

The Playboy Bunny suit would become the first commercial uniform registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Prior, only military and government uniforms were allowed registration. Next, and as I’ve said before, the suit significantly impacted pop culture. Countless female celebs have worn it in films (like Bridget Jones’s Diary, Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, and The House Bunny) or just for fun. Finally, when it comes to anime, let’s say the suit winds up taking a life of its own.

To understand, let’s take a time machine to 1983 Osaka, Japan.

August 20th, 1983.

Student animators from a local university are working hard to finish their short animated feature for the sci-fi convention Nihon SF Taikai Daicon IV’s opening ceremony. The group, led by Hiroyuki Yamaga, Takami Akai, and Hideaki Anno, gained a favorable and respectable reputation within the otaku and animator communities for their impressive work on their short animated film Daicon III during the last Daicon convention two years earlier.

For those unaware, Daicon III focuses on a schoolgirl requested by the Science Patrol from Ultraman to deliver a glass of water to “DAICON”: a battle spaceship shaped like a daikon radish. On her quest to the DAICON, the unnamed heroine faces off against other copyrighted figures like Godzilla, a mecha from Starship Troopers, ship fleets from Star Wars and Star Trek, and other famous figures from Western and Eastern nerd media.

Despite Daicon III‘s success, the trio planned to disband after the convention. However, instead, they founded their own production company, Daicon Films (which later became Gainax). They figured that because they were in debt, the team could use the money they had earned from their film’s sales to help finance their next animation project (Daicon IV) to get out of debt.

Daicon IV debuted later that morning in front of thousands of otakus holding high exceptions for Daicon Films. The short opens with a quick 90-second summary of the previous film, with Kitarou’s Noah’s Ark serving as background music. Following this, Electric Light Orchestra’s Prologue plays with its lyrics appearing in space as an outline of the DAICON battle spaceship passes.

However, the film truly beings once Prologue Transition into Twilight.

Some time has passed since Daicon III, as our heroine has grown from an innocent schoolgirl to a proud, action-driven battle-harden warrior woman. Her immunity to copyright laws reappears as she faces off against a never-ending army of sci-fi monsters, Gundams, a giant Xenomorph, and of course, her legendary showdown with Darth Vader – complete with lightsabers and storm-troopers.

The most essential thing that needs noticing is that our heroine is in a Playboy Bunny Girl suit: marking the first time an animated character has worn it…granted, without either Zelda’s or Playboy’s permission. Nevertheless, it shows how influential a Foundational Black American woman like Zelda Wynn Valdes was to pop culture globally with her fashion designs.

Since Daicon IV, the bunny girl suit has served as a noteworthy emblem for anime fanservice. In Japan, it has long since lost its association with Playboy and is simply known as the bunny girl outfit. In fact, instead of merely having a female character wear the suit, some creators have made full-on literal bunny girls such as Reisen from Touhou, Usagiyama from My Hero Acamedia, the Chiester Sisters from Umineko no Naku koro Ni, and for you sick weirdos out there, Haru from Beastars and Carrot from One Piece.

When you beat multiple copyright lawsuits back-to-back.

But enough with fictional women who’ll never make an immutable impact on the world long-term outside of geek circles! Let’s see what a real woman who actually did something for the world, Zelda Wynn Valdes, was up to in the 80s.

Zelda, now age 84, has since closed down Chez Zelda. Before the closure, she’d worked with famed ballet dancer Arthur Mitchell to design costumes for and tour with his company, The Dance Theater of Harlem. Despite her advanced age, Zelda was able to produce for over eighty productions and, like always, came up with a new innovative design.

The design? Matching the tights of the dancer with their skin tone.

While that may seem basic by today’s standards, you must understand the times Zelda was living through. Black dancers were forced to wear pink tights to emulate their white counterparts’ skin tones. So, from that, she wanted Black dancers to embrace their skin with thighs mimicking their skin tone. Valdes continued working with The Dance Theater of Harlem until her death on September 26th, 2001, in New York City at 96.

FINALE

Zelda Wynn Valdes lived a robust life filled with milestones and achievements that would impact not only her life, community, and time but the world of media. She has touched, inspired, and blessed so many people with her talent, and even after her death, her iconic designs are still being used and worn today. Fashion, like all trends, will change over time – that’s a given. But nothing will ever change the fact that Valdes’s art will always stand the test of time.

“I just had a God-given talent for making people beautiful.”
-Zelda Wynn Valdes.

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A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in nerd culture. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday we drop episodes containing serious and laidback topics, while on Saturdays, we drop episodes talking about TV shows, anime, film, comics, manga, and video games.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on March 4, 2023

Uncategorized 0

Unveiling the Untold Story: Dr. Clyde Winters on Black American History

Join Drs. Randy Short & Clyde Winters in a multi-part series on the new doc American Maroon. In this part, we uncover the untold stories of Black Aboriginal people and the first Black people in America, and how white supremacy obscured their history.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on April 25, 2023

black nerd 0

Revenge of the Cornballs: Michael B Jordan and Black Nerds.

Do you know what feels good? Putting doubters in their place. It’s even better if you publicly humiliate them while doing so! This is why I (like many others) applaud Micheal B. Jordan for checking former classmate and Morning Hustle reporter Lore’l over her ‘corny’ comments towards Jordan and her overall fakeness.

During the premiere of Creed III the star/director was interviewed by Lore’l: a woman who admitted to calling Jordan corny, mocking his name, and calling his heads shots “stupid” when they were in high school on The Undressing Room podcast days prior. With a fake smile and annoying giggle, she brought up how they go way back.

However, Michael B. Jordan stops her and says “The corny kid, right?”: a reference to Lore’l’s remarks.

She awkwardly laughs the question off while defending herself saying that she was simply “misquoted”. Jordan counters, stating that he heard the “corny” remark himself — with the classic “Bitch, we know you’re lying, but continue” look on his face. Laure’l double downs on being misquoted and continues until Jordan’s co-star Jonathan Majors steps in. After a few more questions Laure’l ended the interview with “Well, you’re not corny anymore.”

Passive aggressive much?

In the days following the now infamous interview, the internet has been sounding off on Micheal B Jordan’s actions – especially male Black Nerds as they see Jordan as the ultimate Black nerd icon. He’s a rich movie star and director. He’s a lover of anime who has gone on record with IGN that boxing series Hajime no Ippo and Megalobox as well as shounen series Naruto, My Hero Academia, and Dragon Ball Z influenced Creed III’s direction. It must be also noted that the armor design for his character Killmonger in the film Black Panther may be an homage to Vegeta’s armor design from Dragon Ball Z.

Plus, like many Black nerds, he’s been mocked, teased, and bullied for his quirky passions.

Seeing Jordan check Lore’l has driven Black nerds to go online to tell their dark tales of being tormented and tortured by their peers for being the nerdy ones. Oh, how they rant about Black girls (and girls in general) dissing them because they weren’t a street dude or a normie only to get their get back years down the line. Reading about their painful past is enough to make you cry…

…with laughter, because these grown-ass cornball ass male nerds haven’t yet realized that they have a shitty personality that made people not wanna be with them. They really be letting that high school shit from the past turn make them super bitter and angry toward Western women. Straight up got these victim and persecution complexes going on. They yearn for their “Beat it, chick!” moment one day like their hero Mike.

(Okay, that was kinda mean. I’ll be a little bit nicer – just a little bit, though.)

Look, I understand why my fellow Black nerds can relate to Micheal B. Jordan’s moment. Many of you were the little awkward geeky kid who was counted out, dissed, ignored, bullied, and/or belittled by everyone else in school. You were ostracized by Black normie society and it really burned you up inside. Most of all, you wanted to prove a point: being a nerd isn’t corny and you’ll be way more successful than the despite being a nerd after high school.

This is where things get interesting. I might wind up offending and triggering many of you nerds because this gotta be said.

Yes, it’s common for nerds to disprove their high school critics and wind up becoming massively successful both financially and socially after high school. However you need to have a sense of self, a clear vision, and a strong work ethic to become a successful Black nerd after high school. Michael B. Jordan is where he is today because of hard work and drive – not simply because he’s a nerd. Did being a nerd play a role in his success? Of course, but it’s not the sole reason. This is where many Black nerds get things twisted.

Let me break down what I mean.

First, a lot of Black nerds are corny; we gotta tell the truth here. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen my fellow Black nerds do some of the most GOOFIEST nonsense at anime conventions. I mean asking female Japanese voice actors if they are single during panels when con staff repeatedly told them not to do so, standing around looking awkward and not talking to women at room parties, singing off-key to anime opening theme songs, and making speeches about the cons and attendees in front of white people who don’t care to hear their ramblings.

Next, many game-goofy Black nerd males love listening to dating and lifestyle “coaches” who tend to be mentally unstable incels with (single) mommy issues. They take in this corrupted version of the dating game as a tool to be hateful, abusive, and just downright nasty to women. It’s ruining the dating scene for those Black male nerds who got their shit together.

Finally, you have Black Nerds who are so confused and wrapped by geek culture that all they know is being a nerd – nothing else. They can tell you everything about Star Wars, Game of Thrones, the MCU, and the latest popular anime series from a niche source, but they know nothing about Black history or culture. If not that, they don’t know about dating/relationships, being a man/woman, having a tangible skillset, and having your money straight.

So, if you fall into any of the three above I mentioned, you’re corny — and not because you’re a nerd.

Anyway, to conclude this, Micheal B. Jordan is living proof that being a Black nerd isn’t corny. Even if it were corny, it’s only corny to those who will never get you and your passion. Work on bettering yourself and drive yourself to prove them wrong. But don’t think being a Black nerd and not a street dude automatically means you will become successful no matter what.

Put in that hard work to better yourself, Black male Nerd.
You’re only corny if you don’t.

The Swarthy Nerd Podcast
A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in nerd culture. Every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays we drop episodes containing serious and laidback topics while Saturdays we drop episodes talking about TV shows, anime, film, comics, manga, and video games.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on March 1, 2023

Conventions 0

How To Travel to and Attend Conventions Alone (2023 Edition)

So you’ve finally decided that you want to travel to and attend conventions alone. While you’ve loved attending them with friends and family, you know deep down that you can’t stand all the clutter of sewing machines, bags, figurines, and alcohol bottles they’ve generated in the hotel at each convention.

Maybe you like to party into the late hours and don’t wanna deal with waking your lame, square, non-partying roommates up at 3 in the morning in your intoxicated state. Perhaps you’re a working industry professional or content creator yearning for a quiet, private space to do work or wind down after a long day of being productive without distractions.

Whatever your case may be, you just wanna start attending conventions alone. However, you might be utterly confused, terrified, and don’t think you can do it due to your lack of knowledge and experience. As someone who often travels to conventions alone, I got you covered! While it can be challenging and expensive, traveling alone can be both rewarding and fun! You’ll learn so much about yourself and the world as well as gain new insight and experiences that you’d never have gotten through traveling with others.

This guide will teach and show you how to find the right hotel that fits your budget, what mode of transportation you’ll need, how to network with fellow convention attendees, and much more. While we will focus on major conventions outside your city, you can apply some of the information from this guide to local and regional conventions.

If this all sounds great to you guys, let’s get started with the advantages and disadvantages of solo convention travel.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

For our first advantage, there’s no waiting on others. We all had to wait on someone within our group during a con for something. It sucks and it wastes your precious, short time that could be spent doing something else. When you’re soloing it at a convention, there’s no waiting outside of being in line for an event, panel, or to get inside the convention itself. Once you’re done prepping in your hotel room, off you go to whatever you had planned, which brings us to the next advantage.

You can switch up your plans without protest. You know how sometimes switching up a plan with a group can cause beef, conflicts, and clashes that can lead to childish drama within the friend group? You’ll always avoid that mess by being alone.

Maybe you had planned on going to a Komi Can’t Communicate panel but you had hit it off with a Yor Forger cosplayer earlier. She wants to hang out and know more about you for whatever reason; may it be because you were cosplaying as her favorite character from a rather obscure series or you had a nice, charming chat in line with her while waiting for an event.

Guess what?

You can change up your plans without upsetting anyone. Hell, who knows? Maybe you and the Yor cosplayer hit it off so well that later, you guys decide to have a few drinks at the bar or a room party before heading to the rave. Things get a little heated and you guys decide to take things back to your room where we have our next advantage:

You have the room to yourself.
I don’t think I need to explain why this is great (especially for us single folks).
Okay, I probably should…

POV: I’m bumping this in my hotel room with your girl who’s cosplaying as my waifu, not yours. We were DMing each other behind your back weeks prior to the con.

Look, having a hotel room to yourself is a godsend. You ever noticed how when you share a room with others how peaceful the room gets when everyone is out at the con and you’re the only one in the room as you rest up? Now, imagine that feeling – throughout the whole weekend.

Plus, cosplayers, no matter our background or skills, are NORTITOUS for being messy. We can take up so much space in a hotel room. We can spend hours in the bathroom preparing for the convention. It can be chaotic. When it’s just you alone in that room, you will have order, space, and peace.

(Now, if you’re room is messy even without others in it, you’re just nasty.)

Finally, there’s no drama. While conventions should be an enjoyable experience, drama between friends can happen. It can ruin your convention weekend. Nobody wants to deal with drama during a time of relaxation and personal work. If that means going solo, so be it.

(By the way, if you often find yourself dealing with con drama with your friends, you may want to re-consider who are your friends truly are.)

That said, let’s cover the disadvantages.

The obvious drawback is cost. Things will get expensive. You could easily overspend or not have enough in savings. You won’t have anyone to bail you out in the event you exhaust funds before the end of your trip. Therefore, have a solid budget and save money often! Plan everything out all the way to the end expense-wise: hotel, transportation, food, con badge, entertainment, shopping, and party goods (if you’re into that part of the con scene). To figure out how much you need, count how many weeks until the event and divide the total of your budget by the reminding weeks left.

Second, you’ll have to leave behind your complex cosplays that require handlers. Yes, I know you want to show off your amazing ED-209 from Robocop cosplay that you busted your ass off for C2E2. But, if you know that you need a crew to help you get it and out of that cosplay and guide you throughout the con, it’s best to save it for Dragon*Con where you know you are going to be attending that con with a crew.

Finally, you have to watch your own stuff. At the airport or Amtrak station and gotta pee? Well, you gotta drag your luggage to the bathroom. It’s annoying, but it’s better than having your convention ruined because someone stole your stuff.

Now that we’ve gone over the advantages and disadvantages if you feel that you are up to solo convention traveling then let’s continue.

HOTEL/LODGING

When traveling alone consider the cost of your lodging options as they’ll play a major role in your budget. As soon as the convention allows for hotel bookings (usually around 6-9 months before the convention starts), see what’s being offered in terms of lodging. Choose a hotel and save your money for it as early as possible.

If you’re going to a small-to-medium-size convention within your home state or region, you could get away with saving your money about 5-9 months prior to the convention. However, if you’re planning to attend a major, premium-level convention outside of your home state or region like Dragon*Con, San Diego Comic-Con, Anime NYC, or Anime Expo, then you want to start saving up about a year in advance if possible (depending on your monthly income).

Remember that the convention rate will always be cheaper than the normal booking rate. However, you may find a good deal on nearby hotels outside the official convention hotels. Granted, these hotels may not be within walking distance, so keep that in mind. While we’re still on the matter, prices for the convention’s hotels will either increase or decrease depending on the brand, distance from the convention center, and hotel type.

If you want to cheat and save extra money, rent a bunk bed at a nearby hostel for about $30-40 a night (in America). Sure, you’re going to wind up sharing a room with strangers, but there’s a good chance you’ll meet travelers from all over the globe and across the nation who might be attending the convention. Of course, most hostels do offer private rooms for around $90-$120/night, which is cheaper than your traditional hotel stay.

If hostels aren’t your thing but you don’t mind sharing a room with strangers, there’s always the option to share a room with other convention attendees at one of the main hotels. Most conventions will have official or fan-run room-share groups on Facebook or Discord. On there you can find hosts looking for people who need space for the convention weekend and split hotel costs. Yes, this isn’t completely solo as you are sharing a room with others (even if they’re strangers), but it is cheap.

Now that we’ve figured out our lodging situation let’s move on to travel and transportation!

TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION

Just like your hotel situation, transportation too will play a major role in your budget. Therefore, you need to consider how you’ll travel to and around the city as well as the cost.

To start, there are long-distance bus services such as Greyhound or Megabus. For under $50-60, you can ride the bus to your destination. Unless you’re traveling less than five hours or making a transfer to the Amtrak station or to an airport to continue your journey, I wouldn’t recommend this.

First, bus services are notorious for delays. Furthermore, the cheaper brands tend to attract weirdos and shady types. There are high-end bus services that you can use to avoid this if you are willing to pay a premium. However, at that point, you could use the cash for the next mode of transportation on my list: Amtrak.

For around less than $70-100, you can get a comfortable travel experience compared to the bus with Amtrak. I prefer this method for cities that aren’t far from where you’re departing from. Trains don’t suffer from delays as often as buses. Plus, you can bring items on the train that you normally can’t get away with on the plane in addition to bringing on extra bags.

For those who are traveling long-distance and want to arrive at their destination in a speedier matter compared to rail or bus services, there’s flying; a rather expensive yet quick way to get where you need to go. With flying, you need to book your flight as soon as you get word of the convention’s dates, as flight prices increase the closer you get to your departure date.

Example: If a convention historically runs on a certain holiday weekend each year (ex. Anime Expo during 4^th of July Weekend and Dragon*Con during Labor Day weekend), you want to make sure that your tickets are booked at least 6-10 months prior to those dates.

You can apply this to your bus and Amtrak tickets as well. While Amtrak and bus tickets don’t increase as much compared to flight tickets, you still have to worry about the train and bus ride filling up as time goes on.

Always remember to arrive at the airport two hours before your departure (or two and a half to three hours if departing from a busy city/airport) if flying nationally, and four hours (or six hours departing from a busy city/airport) if flying internationally. For trains and buses, arrive about an hour to an hour and a half before departure.

Now let’s talk about moving around and about in the city itself.

When it comes to getting to and from the con (and/or getting around the city), you have a few options. First, there are ride-share services such as Lyft to get where you need to go. Of course, ride-share services can be expensive (especially during surge hour or you’re going to and from the airport).

Another option is public transportation. See if the city you’re in has a reliable public transportation system and if they do, research what bus and light-rail services you need to use and how often they come and go. If you can afford to, rent a car to get around the city! Always plan ahead, no matter what mode of transportation you’re using.

That said, let’s move on to buying your badge.

BADGES AND ADMISSION

There are three ways you can tackle your badge situation: Going all in (meaning, buying your badge ASAP), saving up to buy the con badge for purchase on a future date, or buying the badge day of. Let’s review each option.

By going all in, this means that you’ll have the funds to buy the convention badge instantly. I recommend this, as you’ll be saving both money and time more importantly. To call back on an old post of mine, “Hey Broke Weeaboo! Let’s Get Your Money Right For Your Next Convention”:

“Yes, you’ll lose money, but you won’t lose time waiting for your badge in line during at-door registration. Trust me: losing time is worse than losing money. Money, we can gain back – time, we can never recover.”

It’s best to buy your badge at the cheapest tier’s time frame. Now, if you can’t afford to buy the badge yet, but know that you can save up for future tier pricing, do that instead.

Example: Let’s say the second tier badge price starts at $55, the price increase will start on December 3^rd, 2017. This gives you four paychecks until December 3^rd. 4 paychecks divided by $55 equals $13.75 ($55/4=$13.75)

For the six months option (October 3^rd to March 3^rd): 12 paychecks/$75 = $6.25 a check. Again, just like your hotel money, place this money in your savings and do not touch it until you hit your target goal.

If you want to buy your badge the day of, that is fine. Keep in mind that you may have to wait in long lines if you chose that route, especially on day one. If the con allows people to register on day zero (the day before the convention, usually on that Wednesday or Thursday before the event), take some time out to visit the convention to buy your badge on that day. This way, you’ll have the rest of the weekend to do con stuff without waiting in line.

There are some conventions such as Anime Central, Anime Expo, and Youmacon that allow shipping of badges to your place of residence before a certain date. It may cost a little extra to ship (around $2-5 but no more than $10 depending on the convention), but it’s worth it to skip both at-site registration and per-resignation lines.

One final thing: while I’m not going to go over different types of badges such as Press/Industry Badge, Guest Badge, Lifetime Membership, VIP, or Premiere Fan (R.I.P until Anime Expo realizes they made a horrible crackhead-like move), it’s good to look into them to see what benefits they offer compared to normal badges and see how they’ll work with your budget.

FOOD AND DRINKS

Budgeting for dining options will differ from person-to-person. However, everyone will need to make sure they’ll have enough cash to keep themselves fed during the duration of their trip. There are no splitting costs or sharing with others here. With that in mind, here are some tips on taking care of your food needs.

Check out the surrounding area for restaurants, food trucks, supermarkets, corner stores, and liquor stores (if you’re into drinking/partying). Ask locals attending the convention what restaurants and supermarkets they recommend for dining and shopping. Make a list of the places that fit within your budget and diet.

A meal at a fast-food chain restaurant should run you no more than $7-10. Meals at most local restaurants shouldn’t be higher than $15. If you prefer to make your own meals because you’re at a hostel or Air BnB with a full kitchen, you should seek to spend no more than $45-60 on groceries depending on how often you’re going to cook for yourself.

With food out of the way let’s move forward to our next tip:

NETWORKING

Just because you’re attending conventions and exploring new cities alone doesn’t mean that you should be a total anti-social loner. Given that conventions are social events, you want to interact and connect with others who share your hobbies and passions.

Get a head start on networking and building your presence with fellow fans attending the convention. Most conventions will have official and/or fan-run social groups on social media platforms (such as Facebook, Reddit, and Discord) for attendees to interact and network with each other. Use this knowledge to get in good with these groups.

Why is that?

Having your name already known (IN A GOOD WAY) by people from that convention’s community before it even starts gives you a huge edge. You’ll gain information on local places to eat, shop, party, and hang out at during the convention. If you’re in a separate but decent size fandom group, forum, or server for a series, don’t be afraid to ask people if they’re attending the convention. You may find someone who’s going to the convention as you and you guys can link up and hang out during the con.

Make sure you are constantly communicating with people. I’m not saying to spend and waste your time being on social media 24/7. However, the more social you are in these groups, the better it’ll be for you come convention time. This is especially true for larger and major conventions in busy cities; as unlike local conventions or medium-sized conventions, your chances of meeting someone again are low at best and zero at realistic.

Now, I know many people in the convention/cosplay community (myself included, although a social variant) are introverted and find it a hurdle to be social in real life. While I won’t go in-depth on how to get out of your shell and become more social despite being an introvert, the best tip I can give you is to go out and make small talk with the world around you. Meaning, if you see a clerk or anyone else at the store wearing something relating to your geekdom, have a quick chat about it and keep it pushing. Keep doing this often and soon you’ll break out of your shell.

Anyway, let’s go on to packing for the trip.

PACKING AND CLOTHING CARE

When it comes to your clothing and cosplay, make a list of the characters you’re planning to cosplay in addition to your regular clothes. Listing your items ensures that nothing major will be forgotten and it prevents over-packing. Store an empty trash bag in your luggage bag to separate your clean and dirty clothes. Throw in a laundry sheet or two to make the luggage bag smell fresh. You want to do this a week before the convention.

If you’re not traveling in your own vehicle, pack light. When it comes to bags, have a medium-sized luggage bag for your outfit and a small bag for your personal items (such as hygiene products, electronics, IDs, and so on). That’s it. If possible, pack an extra outfit in your personal bag just in case you have any checked bags with your clothing that could get lost by the airlines.

If you’re on medication or need to use medical gear, ALWAYS have it in your personal carry-on bag or in your pockets. NEVER have them in checked luggage. Store your medicine on top of everything in an easily accessible section of your bag so you can grab it in case of a medical incident.

Invest in clear containers and toiletry bags for your smaller items If traveling by plane, aim for carry-on only. Checked baggage fees can be expensive and airlines often lose them. You don’t want to have your convention ruined because your clothes or cosplay were lost somewhere. Remember what happened during the Great Winter Storm of 2022 in America and how airlines (Southwest) were losing customers’ bags.

To save space, learn to do this simple yet effective packing method: the Army/Ranger roll pictured below.

Art Source: https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/how-to/how-to-pack-a-bag-using-the-ranger-roll/

For my fellow closet cosplayers seeking to save space, see which article of clothing you’re planning to pack and see what each of your closet cosplay can be used for different characters you’re cosplaying as in addition to your casual/going-out clothes.

Example: I have a black blazer, black chino pants, a white dress shirt, and a brown belt and shoes use for both my Shido (Persona 5) and Tatsumi (Zombie Land Saga) cosplay (granted, I use two different white shirts for both of those cosplays). The only difference between those two cosplays is Tatsumi’s bow tie, vest, and sunglasses.

That’s it. Other than that, I’m saving space by using the same items for multiple cosplays. If I were to go to a nice upscale club or a bar in the city, I could use my dress slacks and shoes from the Shido/Tatsumi cosplay and use a polo shirt or nice V-neck t-shirt from my normie clothes I packed.

Since we’re on the topic of clothing, you want to take care of your clothes when you’re traveling. Make sure your clothes are cleaned, ironed, pressed, and/or starched (if needed) before you pack. Use the Army/Ranger roll packing method roll mentioned above as it can prevent wrinkles.

If you do get wrinkles, you can steam your wrinkled clothes in the bathroom of the hotel by hanging your winkles clothing on the bathroom’s door hooks, turn the shower on to its hottest, seal the crack under the door with towels, and let the shower run for thirty (30) minutes. By then, your clothes should be winkled free. If there are wrinkles left, iron them out. If you have a suit that has wrinkles, use the streaming options on the hotel’s iron or invest in a streamer to remove wrinkles.

Invest in stain removal pens and don’t be afraid to buy a small bottle of laundry detergent and fabric softener to hand wash your cosplays in case they get too stained/dirty or you know you’re going to wear the same piece of clothing/cosplay the next day.

While we’re still on the subject of outfits, now’s a good to talk about cosplaying at the con while solo.

COSPLAYING

You can’t deny that cosplay is a huge part of the convention scene and for many, they’re the reason why they go to conventions; may it be they’re a cosplayer themselves, or for content creation. While you can partake in this hobby with friends, you can still cosplay alone and have fun with others. Of course, cosplaying at the convention is merely recommended and not required.

However, cosplaying gives you that full con experience and by being a solo con traveler, you can make new like-minded friends. Plus if you’re introverted, cosplaying can really help you break out of your shell as a lone attendee.

How so you may ask?

First, check for any gatherings and photoshoots of your fandom(s) and fit them into your schedule. As mentioned before, if the gatherings have any Facebook groups or Discord servers, join them to start networking with others to get yourself known within that community.

Second, if you want (good) attention or something that’s an icebreaker, wear an eye-catching cosplay. Having a cosplay that stands out, is memorable, makes people stop in awe and want to take pictures, and talk about your cosplay on social media. If somebody asks questions about your cosplay (like how you made it or simply because they just dig your cosplay), don’t be scared to open your mouth and have a short chat with that person.

Finally, cosplay as a popular or beloved character within your fandom. If you are feeling ballsy, cosplay as one of the most, if not, the most hated character within your fandom. Trust me, people will give you props for having the courage to dress up as a character people have a strong hatred for, especially if your character did something horrific.

That said, let’s move on to the final item on the list!

MIND YOUR DAMN BUSINESS: HAVE AN ACTION PLAN!

When going to a convention as a group it is somewhat important to have an action plan for the convention for when you guys go your separate ways. However, as a solo act, it’s extremely important to have an action plan.

You need to fill your time up with action! Make a plan of all the things you want to check out at the convention and in the city you’re in. Guests panels. Guest Autographs. Dances and raves. Gaming Tournament. Events in the city like pop-up museums or comedy shows. Whatever you are interested in or slightly curious about, don’t be scared to interact with it at the convention.

If you find yourself struggling to break out of your shell but you manage to make a few friends at the convention in person or through networking, don’t be scared to ask if you guys can link up for a panel or two during one of the convention days.

If you guys don’t have any idea on where to go, take charge and go somewhere random yet interesting for the group. Are you curious about Chainsaw Man and see there’s a spoiler-free panel during your free time? Go to that with your new convention friends.

If you’re a content creator, it is triple important that you make an action plan. Focus on doing things at the con that you can talk about on your podcast, show, or channel. People are curious about what you have been through at the convention and are willing to listen if you produced good and respectful content based on the convention. Don’t forget to promote your content while you are there! Make business cards if you have to and pass them around to like-minded people! Take notes, record audio and video

Don’t aimlessly wander around. You’ll get bored quickly and don’t wanna do anything with the con.

CONCLUSION

I hope you’ve found this guide useful and that it has inspired you to travel to convention alone. To quickly go over what we’ve covered:

Have six-to-nine months of savings put aside for hotel, food, and transportation for the convention.
Buy your badge as soon as possible or have a target date on when you’re going to buy your badge and save money until that date.
Network with attendees through official and fan-run convention social media groups and channels.
Pack light. Learn to Army/Ranger Roll. Have a personal bag and luggage bag only.
Find out about cosplay gatherings for your fandom. No complex cosplays that require handlers.
Have an action plan for the convention so you aren’t wandering the con floor bored. Plan all the way to the end.

Finally, let me hook you guys up with a useful website to help you budget for your trip:
https://budgetyourtrip.com/

Check that out. Thank me later.

Until next time, later!

The Swarthy Nerd Podcast
A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in nerd culture. Every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays we drop episodes containing serious and laidback topics while Saturdays we drop episodes talking about TV shows, anime, film, comics, manga, and video games.

Instagram: YukiTheSnowMan314

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https://www.facebook.com/yukithesnowman/

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https://www.facebook.com/yuki.benji.1?ref=br_rs

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on January 25, 2023

Anime convention 0

How To Throw a Room Party At Anime Conventions (2023 Edition)

Gotta love room parties at anime cons! Where else can you walk in on a degenerate white girl dressed up as Princess Zelda snorting cocaine off her key, a Marianne cosplayer from Fire Emblem: Three Houses grinding her ass on a Bojack Horseman cosplayer while he’s throwing money at her, or flirt and hook up with a chick who’s dressed up as Asuka who just happens to be more mentally ill and fucked up in the head then Asuka herself.

3 out of 5 Asuka cosplayers have a mental illness. The other two are lying.

Don’t get me wrong: anime cons are fun and they’re great! But, for us otaku who wanna let loose and mingle over drinks (and other…”items”), room parties are great for us!

However, what if I said there’s more to gain by hosting your own party?

Don’t know how to? Well, I got the perfect room party hosting guide just for you! This video will cover how to select the right hotel type for your party, what type of alcohol and mixers you need, how to promote, how to create and enforce rules, and much more!

So, if that sounds great to you, let’s get right into that!

THE HOTEL

Various hotels for Anime Central (anime convention, Rosemont, IL., USA).

Choosing the right hotel is key to hosting a successful room party. If you (and your crew) can afford to, book an extra room designated as the party room only.

Why? Two things.

First: your roommates who don’t party will have a quiet sleeping/resting quarters that is separate from the party room. Second: If you find yourself hooking up with someone, you might want that room after the party for…well, let me have David Banner explain:

(Look, let’s be honest: Those types of activities happen at anime conventions because of after-parties – let’s not lie. Some of you got con babies. )

Anyways…

Where should you host your party at?! Good question, as the location of your party will be important. Conventions will have multiple hotels where attendees will be housed for the weekend. Some hotels work best for parties and networking. Others work well for those who need some rest for the day. You may have hotels that don’t mind the partying as long as you’re respectful to other guests. From this, you can determine where you want to host your party; such as the main hotel of the convention or secondary hotel(s) in the surrounding areas.

I recommend the main hotel or hotels of the convention as they will house most of the con attendees. This doesn’t mean that the main hotel is the be-all-end-all for your partying needs. Sometimes, the secondary hotels will have advantages over the main hotel such as larger rooms for parties such as suites.

If the convention’s host hotel has a dedicated floor/wing for parties, it’s best to take advantage of that. You may have to pay a little extra, but it’ll be worth it: as you don’t have to worry about disturbing others who don’t party.

Archon (sci-fi convention, Collinsville, IL., USA) themed room parties guidelines.

For those planning to host a party at a convention that doesn’t allow room parties, don’t worry! If you want to host one in secret, request a room on either end of the hall on the floor you’re on. Bonus, if you can, request a room on a higher floor.

Why?

Well, rooms near the end of the hall and/or on the higher floors tend to have less people around you (as people don’t want to wait on the elevators). Therefore, this decreases the likelihood of someone filing a noise complaint against you. No noise complaint means you can party all night without fear of being evicted from your room (I hope you have a secret, private room nearby just in case.)

That said, let’s explore room types and let’s see what room type works best for you and your party.

ROOM TYPES:

Double two bedded room option for Animé Los Angeles (anime convention, Long Beach, CA., USA).

Depending on the hotel, you’ll have a select few options to choose from for your party: such as king-size rooms, suites, and so forth. Let’s go over them!

Double/Twin Rooms: Best for smaller groups, kickbacks, and chill sessions. Fit up to 6-10 people. If using connecting rooms you can double this to 12-20 people.

King Size Room: Best for medium-to-large groups. Ideal for medium kick-backs, chill sessions, and smaller parties. Can fit up to 10-15 people depending on the room size. If using connecting rooms you can double this to 20-30 people.

Suites/Conference Bedrooms: Best for large groups. Ideals for large parties. Can fit up to 25-30 people. IF using connecting rooms you can double this up to 50-60 people.

(WARNING: probably won’t sit well with hotel staff unless you’re on/in a party floor/wing.)

That said, let’s move on!

HOSPITALITY:

The job of a host is to provide as much hospitality as possible. Greet everyone with a smile. Show them respect. Make them feel comfortable and welcome. This means cleaning the room hours before the party and throughout it, having liquor, juices, soda, food, and water available (which I will cover later), and being kind to your guests (this doesn’t mean you should tolerate and allow their bullshit and let them disrespect you, however – its YOUR room and room party). Talk to as many of your guests as possible. Be friendly. Trust me, doing these things will earn you repeat and new visitors for future parties.

CLEANING SUPPLIES:

Party fouls happen. It’s unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t clean up (plus, you don’t want cleaning fees on your bill). Cleaning supplies will help you in the long run, and plus, cleaning goes hand-in-hand with hospitality.

Here is what you’ll need:

Trashbags: Hotel trash bags are small, weak, and will overflow quick. You want something that’s heavy-duty, like Hefty trash bags. 5-10 heavy-duty trash bags should be more than enough for your party (you could get away with 7 bags, honestly, depending on the size of the party). Tie a trash bag on the door to make things easier for everyone.

Paper Towels: Paper towels are a godsend for messes. Get something strong and absorbent like Brawny or Bounty.

Dish Soap: For difficult stains. Plus the best dish soap smells good.

Disinfection Wipes (with bleach): Great way to kill germs and reduce con plague from unwashed, unhealthy virgin nerds.

Febreze: Because people don’t fucking shower at conventions.

Having these simple cleaning products will help you in the long run. You don’t need everything on the list, but it’s useful to have at least trash bags, dish soap, and paper towels on standby.

FOOD AND DRINKS:

What’s a party without food or drinks? A rather boring one, run by a host who’s most likely a freeloader, expecting others to bring things but not providing anything in exchange. Nobody likes those types of people. You gotta have your own set of food and drinks at your party.

While it may not be important nor does it matter, it’s best to understand your party’s demographic so that you can cater to them. Example: Us Black folks, we like basic things like regular old beer and dark liquor. The classics, you know. We’re not into these weird ass ales, IPAs micro-brews, mend, and whatever the fuck you goofy white nerds like. Women tend to like fruitier drinks and wine. You want to be well-rounded when it comes to your alcohol selection for the party.

Here is what you’ll need:

Alcohol (DISCLAIMER: DO NOT SERVE ANYONE UNDER 21! IF YOU ARE SERVING ALCOHOL DON’T EVEN RUN THE RISK OF ALLOWING ANYONE UNDERAGED AT YOUR ROOM PARTY. Seriously, you may have not served them liquor at your room party, but what if they’re already intoxicated, your room gets busted, and the police/hotel/con staff sees said intoxicated minor in your room with all the liquor you got in your room? You’re fucked.)

Cases of beer. Get a couple of 24 or 36-packs. Go for different types of packs (meaning flavor, brands, etc.)

4-10 Bottles of plain Vodka
2-5 bottles of (fruit) flavored vodka/rum (pineapple, mango, raspberry, etc.)

4-10 Bottles of plain White Rum
2-5 bottles of fruit-flavored white rum (pineapple, mango, coconut, etc.)

3-7 Bottles of Dark Rum

2-5 bottles of Whiskey

2-3 bottles of tequila

1-2 bottles of gin

1-3 bottles of Triple Sec
1-3 bottle of Schnapps
2-5 bottles of Liqueur (Peach, Sour Apple, Midori, coffee, etc.)

1 bottle of Rumchata (or other similar alcohol)

2-7 bottles/box of red wine
2-7 bottles/box of white wine

(Other wines, such as Moscato, are great choices)

Juices:
Orange Juice
Pineapple Juice
Apple juice
Fruit Juice/Punch
Lemon/Lime juice
Cranberry Juice
Sweet and Sour Mix
Tonic

Sodas:
Coke
Lemon-Lime
Dr. Pepper
Ginger Ale
Root beer
Club soda

(Personal opinion, but a lot of fruit-flavored sodas excluding lemon-lime soda are horrible to use when it comes to mixing them with alcohol. They wind up tasting too sugary and syrupy when mixed with alcohol. I suggest using juices made with REAL fruit and Liqueur when mixing. Also, soda and juices are good to have for those who aren’t drinkers)

2-3 cases (s) of 24-36 packs of bottled water

It is also a good idea to buy bags of ice to cool your drinks. I say bags because you really don’t wanna go back and forth to the ice machine of the hotel. That’ll get annoying quick.

On the food end, pizza and chicken wings work well. You can order 1-3 pounds of wings and 5 boxes of cheap pizza for an entire party. Convince partygoers to put in on the food. Don’t let others mooch off your shit. Adjust for room party size.

PROMOTION:

I dunno what this shit says I don’t speak Japanese.

Nobody will come to your party if they’re unaware. You must promote it. Create a Facebook event (IF YOU ARE HOSTING THE PARTY AT A PARTY FRIENDLY CON. OTHERWISE DON’T BE BOLD AND OPEN WITH THE FACEBOOK INVITES BECAUSE CON STAFF MAY DISCOVER THE EVENT AND SHUT DOWN YOUR PARTY ). Speak to people at the convention who you know and sense love to party. Networking is key. Now, if room partying is against hotel rules, keep it on the low. Only tell a very select few people that you can trust.

Besides, you don’t want your party shut down because you let the wrong people in. Been there. That shit sucks.

RULES:

As a host, you gotta have rules and enforcement. Yeah, parties can be chaotic, that’s a given. But you need to lay down some rules and have order to ensure a safe and happy party for you and your guests.

My general rules:

Respect the host, the room, the guest, and the host’s friends.
Don’t be a creep and make others uncomfortable
Don’t fuck/sleep on my/our bed
Don’t steal. You steal you’re getting your ass beat and booted.
Keep noise at a reasonable level to prevent noise complaints.
No smoking unless it’s a smoking floor, a 420-friendly hotel, etc. Also, you match me. I’ll match you too.
No one under 21 in your room if you’re providing alcohol. If someone appears intoxicated, give them water/food and cut them off from drinking.

Just simple universal rules that should work. You can add your own rules for your party depending on the nature.

ENFORCEMENT:

You and your friends need to enforce the rules and make sure people are acting and behaving in a matter that respects you, your friends/roommates, the room, and other guests. Select up to 4 people to act as rule enforcers when people get too unruly. They don’t need to be Top Flight Security or some dickhead mall cops but make sure these people have the backbone to confront people when they get out of line/disrespectful and you need to restore order.

You don’t necessarily need to kick someone out ASAP if they broke a minor rule, but there are some actions that warrant someone to be IMMEDIATELY removed from the party.

They are:

1. Someone saying white supremacist/racist comments.
2. Physical/sexual assault of the host, guest, or others
3. Stealing/thief.

I’m gonna say something controversial and politically incorrect, but fuck it: Have MEN as your enforcers. Not some cornball dudes in schoolgirl, maid, or femboy outfits*. Bonus if they’re normies or street dudes who don’t play around because the nerds won’t play with them.

Hope these tips help! Feel free to apply them to your own parties. Be safe and have fun this con season! If you have any suggestions and advice, please post them in the comments section below!

*Then again, maybe you do need them because who’s gonna admit they got their ass whooped by some dudes dressed up like women for stealing shit at a geek convention? That’d be embarrassing.

Based on:
https://yukithesnowman.com/2017/05/12/so-you-wanna-throw-a-convention-hotel-room-party/

By Yuki The Snowman Posted on November 25, 2022

Fire Emblem 0

A Low-Brow Fire Emblem “Retrospective”: Chapter 2 (YOUTUBE VIDEO)

Join Yuki The Snowman and TV Guru of the The Swarthy Nerd on Yuki’s personal profound and profane retrospective on Intelligent Systems classic tactical RPG series: Fire Emblem!

In Chapter 2, Yuki takes us through Fire Emblem‘s journey to the west as the series hits America and Europe for the first time and the series’s fall from grace.

GAMES DISCUSSED:

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

By Yuki The Snowman Posted on October 11, 2022

Fire Emblem 0

A Low-Brow Fire Emblem “Retrospective”: Chapter 1 (YOUTUBE VIDEO)

Join Yuki The Snowman and TV Guru of the The Swarthy Nerd on Yuki’s personal profound and profane retrospective on Intelligent Systems classic tactical RPG series: Fire Emblem!

In Chapter 1, Yuki takes us through the golden ages of Fire Emblem from its humble doujin circle-like beginnings on the Nintendo Famicom to becoming a genre-defining icon in gaming history.

GAMES DISCUSSED:

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & Blade of Light

Fire Emblem: Gaiden

Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

By Yuki The Snowman Posted on September 26, 2022

Uncategorized 0

Reality Over Fiction: Why Real Life Empowerment is Better Than This Nerd Crap

“This Tupac museum is way better than going up to that little anime convention down the street!” I told a mother and daughter who asked me if I could take their picture next to a collection of notebooks from legendary rapper the late Tupac Shakur. Both women laughed and nodded in agreement. I myself was in awe reading his original, hand-written drafts of some of his iconic hit songs such as Troublesome ’96, To Live and Die in L.A., All About You, and California Love. From the pages, you could feel Tupac’s drive to make each of his works a masterpiece.

I was originally in Los Angeles during the 4^th of July 2022 weekend for Anime Expo: the annual anime convention in which broke socially awkward weeaboos with disposable income spend their money to help support Los Angeles’s train wreck of an economy (and to an extent, California’s own train wreck of an economy).

However, in the planning stages of my L.A. trip, I came across an advertisement for the Wake Me Up When I’m Free Tupac exhibit hosted in L.A. Live. I figured that it’d be great to take a break from all the weeaboos who finally learned some social skills and take care of their personal hygiene during the COVID shutdowns in order to do something more laid back. Plus, as someone who’s a fan of hip-hop, the arts, and a proud Foundational Black American, I felt that it was my duty to pay respect to the man who not only changed the world but especially inspired Black people globally to rise up against systematic white supremacy and to better themselves.

Anime conventions come and go. Most offer the same thing that you can experience at any other convention. But, a once-in-a-lifetime pop-up museum revolving around the life of a Black man who changed society, well, I had to go and check that out before it was too late.

Not mere seconds upon entering the exhibit, I felt powerful energy and drive that I’ve never experienced at any anime con. The energy of Black Empowerment. The drive to better myself as a Black man. Reading stories of Afeni Shakur – the mother of Tupac – and her courage to stand up against white supremacy as a member of the Black Panther Party during the 70s made me feel proud to be who I am.

Seeing how driven Tupac was in his short 25 years of life to create and produced only fueled my own creative drive. Reading about how he was able to produce many hit songs even in jail made me realize how much I threw away so much free I was blessed with during the 2020-2021 COVID lock-downs. Freetime that could have birthed work. Work that could have birthed content. Content that could have birth funds for me to have a much better and longer time in Los Angeles and Anime Expo. Don’t get me wrong: I had a hell of a time in Los Angeles and Anime Expo this year – but – it would have been nice to have more money in my pockets and more time on my hands out there.

Hell, if I wasn’t such a moron who let his inner darkness take control which turned into a destructive mental slump over a simple minor medical issue like heart failure (that landed me in the hospital for a week), I could have produced so much high-grade content for my blog and YouTube channel. That in turn could have birthed new traffic flow to my website and subscriptions to my YouTube channel. I could have grown big enough to land myself a free press or industry pass for Anime Expo; thus, saving me money and netting those glorious industry connections (only for me to lose them given how quickly they will discover how I could never be in their industry like that with my savage mouthpiece).

I know that you should never compare yourself to someone else. It’s a dangerous mental trap, but I gotta get this off my chest. Tupac spent time in a hopeless situation like prison and was able to produce hits after hit. Yet I wasted a year of my life feeling sorry for myself. A year where I could I could have risen up from the darkness and into the light and just produce masterpiece content like him.

As Foundation Black Americans, it’s a skill we’ve mastered due to 400 years and counting of going through the most horrific and sinister shit in human history. Honestly, being in that exhibit (as well as a real friend giving me a kick in the ass about my behavior) just gave me the realization that I have to go back to my old-school ways (producing content like crazy like I did during 2017-2019).

Like Tupac, I had to take control of my own life and direct my own fate.
That’s true empowerment.

*****

In contrast, the night before, I was at Atlus’s Persona 25th Midnight Masquerade dance party that was held during Anime Expo 2022. After waiting in the general admission line for over an hour, I had arrived just in time to hear this Asian DJ stop playing music (it wasn’t even Persona music, mind you) and start whining like a little bitch about as a child, he felt insecure about his racial heritage; wishing that he wasn’t Asian. As things couldn’t get more awkward, he sang a song about his struggles of being Asian in Canada. I wish that I would have recorded that, but I, along with my crew, felt second-hand embarrassment from that turn of events and left to chat it up with some Persona (and Shin Megami Tensei) cosplayers in the bar area.

(I can’t believe you early admission tickets guys really paid $25 to get in early only to hear that mess).

That was just pathetic. I couldn’t imagine being a young Asian person up at that party and hearing another Asian whine about how insecure he felt in his youth. How’s that empowering to anyone? Let me be that DJ! If I was him, I’d be up there talking reckless on stage about great Asians are because we made Persona, anime, and cosplay.

I would be like “If it wasn’t for us Asians making Persona and getting cosplay poppin all over the world none of these non-Asians motherfuckers would be here today dressing up as OUR characters! A lot of these dudes are only gonna get laid tonight cuz our race made characters like Ann Takamaki, Kasumi Yoshizawa, and Rise Kujikawa cuz these little cosplay hos are dressed up as the tonight! That Maya cosplayer looks positive and I ain’t talking about her always saying ‘let’s think positive’ in Persona 2 or COVID! Any guy getting with her later tonight better wrap up it! Anyway, We’re the master race – not the whites! Yellow Power! ”

I would MAKE sure neither Atlus nor Anime Expo hires me to DJ their events ever again!

That wild fantasy aside, that lack of knowing oneself through empowerment. It’s the mindset of most nerds. You have these white male nerds who have been given everything handed to them due to white supremacy. So, when something does go bad for them, they lack the willpower to get through it. That’s why you see these little white boy incels degrading shooting up public places, and getting involved with alt-right groups.

For the non-white nerds (and the white nerds who aren’t on board with white supremacy) they lack the courage to push through the hardships of life. Most only look forward to the past with blind nostalgia because they don’t see a hopeful future. Pride in oneself is absent from their psyche.

They use fiction as a shield to withdraw from and protect themselves against the savagery of this life. By hiding from life, they don’t have the foresight to see how amazing and beautiful life can be despite its cruel, twisted darkness. Most of these nerds don’t use any of this geek junk they indulge in to empower themselves. They hate on the alpha male and alpha female nerds who have the testicular and ovarian fortitude to not use nerd culture to hide from life. Why do you think there’s rarely any true self or communal empowerment at these conventions?

This is why I named this post “Reality Over Fiction”. I felt more driven to better myself in the two hours I spent at the Tupac museum compared to the 10+ years I’ve gone to these geek conventions across America. Honestly, you can’t find empowerment or people who want to better themselves at these conventions. Why? Because self-empowerment demands that you take a deeper look at yourself and force you to question what the hell have you been doing with all your life. They don’t want to realize they’ve wasted their life not doing anything with it. Funny, given the heroes they look up to (may they be fictional or real) rose up and empowered themselves.

Guess it’s easier in fiction than in reality.

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A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in nerd culture. Every Tuesdays we drop episodes containing serious and laidback topics while Saturdays we drop episodes talking about TV shows, anime, film, comics, manga, and video games.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on July 16, 2022

anime 0

Welcome to the Self-Reflection: An Welcome to the NHK Anime Retrospect Part 2: Hitomi

NOTE: This retrospect will only explore the anime version of Hitomi as I am only on chapter 6 of the original novel at the time of publishing. If I had missed anything about Hitomi’s personality from the novel then I ask for forgiveness on that front.

Link to part 1:
https://yukithesnowman.com/2022/01/27/welcome-to-the-self-reflection-an-welcome-to-the-nhk-anime-retrospectpart-1-introduction/

You know, if Welcome to the N.H.K came out during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hitomi wouldn’t be just a beloved character: she would be the Waifu Queen of the anti-vaxxers who would share their views of conspiracies with vigorous, all-mighty passion. They would swear up-and-down that mask mandates and stay-at-home orders are secretly about control. They’d proclaim that COVID vaccines could alter one’s DNA. Finally, they would express that COVID itself was the ultimate plan of the world’s elites to reduce our population. Horny anti-mandate Hitomi fanboys would wish that she was real so she could step and spit on them; begging her to call them her cute little submissive kouhai while she talks about how COVID-19 is a conspiracy to dominate us while she dominates them.

On the flip side, however, those who’re pro-vaccine/mask mandates would do everything in their power to make Malty Melromarc of Rising of the Shield Hero fame look like an utterly innocent angel compared to Hitomi. On Twitter, they’d mindlessly rant about how Hitomi inspires vaccine “misinformation”. They’d wage war against those who’re Hitomi fans: stating that their waifu is the reason why there’s an increase of COVID deaths and variants. Hitomi cosplayers would be bullied at anime conventions by morons who can’t separate fiction from reality. Japanese and Japanese-American women named Hitomi would flood their local circuit courts to change their name to something like…idunno, Heather, or some shit. Why? Because they can’t bear the shame of having the same name of a cartoon and novel character who might be anti-vax.

Goddammit Tatsuhiko Takimoto, why couldn’t you just had been born about 10-15 years later?

In any case, ladies and gents, I hope you’ve enjoyed my humorous introduction because that is the only humor you’ll get from this article/essay today because I’m going to go into some dark territory. If you’re bothered by subject matters such as depression and suicide, then I advise you to turn back and check out some of my other content on this website (I mean, if that does bother you then why are you a fan of Welcome to the N.H.K in the first place?)

With that said, let’s get into it!

*****

Seen in a flashback in episode 1 (but officially introduced in episode 4) Hitomi Kashiwa is Satou’s senpai from his high school days. Bonding over playing cards, having debates on conspiracy theories, and being the only members of their school’s literature club, the two would quickly become friends. Due to Hitomi’s fascination towards conspiracies, plus his lone-wolf social status, Satou’s worldview would be wrapped by her3. This in turn led him to believe that his hikikomori state is the result of a conspiracy itself.

Despite her unfeasible hopes of a future with him, Hitomi would find herself extending intimacy with Satou. From this, it’s possible that Satou and Hitomi were (sexual) lovers. However, this is merely hinted at via directorial imagery: such as Satou playing an erotic video game starring a senpai in a relationship with her younger male kouhai, cards from the Heart Suits lying on the club’s table, and Hitomi’s lips wrapped around the tip of a straw in episode 5.

In the cafe’ scene of episode 5, Hitomi notices that Satou isn’t looking well, so she offers him drugs to boost his mood. Satou questions her on this, to which she responds by declaring “Being a working adult is tough, you know.”. It’s clear that Hitomi is abusing substances to cope with her life. This is further proven in episode 11 as Hitomi is popping pills in the shower, on the streets, and while she’s browsing through forums dedicated to the discussion of suicide and suicide pacts.

As we’re given a peek at her everyday life, we come to understand why she abuses drugs. She’s in a strained relationship with her boyfriend Akira due to his busy work life. She earns no respect at work: often belittled by her superior and coworkers. Moreover, she struggles with mental health (which we’ll get into soon).

Excluding the boyfriend thing (as I’m into women), I couldn’t help but partly relate to Hitomi. Working bullshit jobs were people older than you try to test and mess with you because they’re screwed up in the head and don’t know how to cope otherwise. Disrespectful middle-management bosses who think they’re hot shit (but are utter pussies when the cool district and regional managers come by to visit) acting like they’re above you (when they can be easily fired like you). Having to cope with the stress of work through my vices: drinking and smoking. Admittedly, dealing with the bullshit lead me to some darkness (which I’m still dealing with today, but I have better control of it).

At times, I wouldn’t come straight home after work at night. I would hit up a grocery store on my way home and buy at least buy some beers (or if I was feeling really down, a bottle of hard liquor), head to a park near my house, prep some weed for a blunt or my bong if I have any, and indulge in my vices.

Then, the darkness would come as I sat.

“Maybe if I didn’t waste all my money and time partying and going to bars/clubs nearly every weekend trying to make up for all the times that I never got the chance to party during my high school days due to being unpopular. Why did I decide to be a nerd living a square ass life instead of a normie street dude who could make fast, easy money and stack the money up for something better in life instead of working at this bullshit ass job.”

Drinking and smoking weren’t enough for my dark side. It got to the point where at times, I would browse through Facebook and other social media platforms just so I can see others suffering worse than I was; finding joy in their misery. Now, before anyone thinks I’m a monster, I had a code like I was Dexter Morgan from Dexter when it came to my darkness. I only laughed and mocked those who I knew and could prove they were horrible people or those who had wronged me in the past and never apologized for it. I do not and will never find joy in seeing good, kindhearted innocent people suffering.

I convinced myself that as long as the other person whom I was laughing at and mocking was proven to be bad, it was okay to tap into that horrific darkness to find joy in their misery. It was my personal stress release. “I know it doesn’t make it right but the world doesn’t operate on right or wrong: only winning and dominance!” I told myself.

Just like how Hitomi’s drug abuse only made her temporary “fix” her issue, that too was merely a temporary solution. I knew this. But I kept at it until I realized I was only hurting myself at the end as I only sunk further into my darkness.

Thankfully, I didn’t reach the point of darkness where I was suicidal….

I swear to God I want to just slit my wrists and end this bullshit
Throw the magnum to my head, threaten to pull shit
And squeeze until the bed’s completely red
I’m glad I’m dead, a worthless fuckin’ Buddha head
The stress is buidlin’ up, I can’t — I can’t believe
Suicide’s on my fuckin’ mind, I wanna leave
I swear to God I feel like death is fuckin’ callin’ me
But nah, you wouldn’t understand

-Biggie Smalls, Suicidal Thoughts (1994 hip-hop single)

Hitomi’s stress would reach its peak as we see her planning to end her life in the middle of the series. As mentioned earlier, we see her browsing through and posting on a suicide forum: expressing how she wants to end her life and will go through with it the next day. Following that, she invites herself over to Satou’s house with beer, snacks, and stories of their high school days. Satou can’t help but notice that the usual “conspiracy-mania” Hitomi is in a blissful mood.

This happens quite often with victims of suicide. Examples: the night before she ended her life, fashion designer Kate Spade was reported to “sounded happy” by her husband. The wife of Linkin Park’s frontman Chester Bennington shared a picture of Bennington smiling with their family; stating that the evening before his death, he seemed like he was at his best. In both cases, the spouses admitted that there were warning signs, but they never picked up on them before it was too late. For Satou, we can say the same. Hitomi showcased the warning signs of depression and suicide, but he never picked up on them (sans the fact that she saw her go through this in the past from when she broke up with her boyfriend).

It’s not until he unwittingly joined her at the OFF group suicide pact meeting that he realized there was something wrong with Hitomi.

We know the rest: The members of OFF realized they had lives worth living and called off the group suicide – excluding Hitomi. Struggling with the idea that nobody neither wants nor needs her, she convinces Satou to end it all with her: making him promise if they’re reborn at the same time to play cards again. However, when Akira arrives at the meeting spot for the suicide group, Hitomi changes her mind as Akira express that he wants her hand in marriage: to which she happily agrees (much to Satou’s dismay)

Hitomi isn’t seen again until the final arc of the series. During New Year’s Eve, Satou meets up with Hitomi (after he and Misaki are separated by a crowd). The two bar hop with Hitomi drunkenly suggesting that they should have an affair while Akira is away on business. Satou shoots down the idea: telling Hitomi that he doesn’t want to destroy her newfound happiness towards life. Hitomi, smiling, agrees with him. Finally, she drops the news that she’s pregnant with Akira’s child (which she delivers in the series’s epilogue.)

I myself never try to take my own life, nor had suicidal thoughts, so I’m not going to pretend that I understand Hitomi’s situation. As much as I talk to those and have empathy towards those who’ve experienced such thoughts or even try to take their lives, empathy doesn’t equal understanding. But, I can see why some people would want to end it all. With the state and stress of the world, it is clear why some people believe they have no other option or outlet. Over the years I’ve come to learn not the judge people with suicidal thoughts because we don’t know what goes on in someone’s mind. Additionally, you or I could easily find ourselves in that state of hopelessness.

Japan is famously known for being a country that holds the status quo in the highest regrade. Working hard and providing for your countrymen nation is expected of you. You must put on your best face (or tatemae, 建前たてまえ, lit. “facade”) no matter what. You are not allowed to express your true feelings (or the honne, 本音, lit. “true sound”). Expressing oneself in Japanese culture is taboo; even if you’re going through emotional pain. So, it is understandable on why Hitomi wanted to kill herself before she got better.

Honestly, it’s messed up.

Being a working adult is truly tough, you know? There’s nothing you can really do about it as you need to work to survive. Living this life comes with stress: may the be from bills, competition against and from others to advance, and dealing with things that take a toll on both your physical and mental health. You can’t ask the world to help you; as this world is not an ally, but rather, a cruel and unforgiving enemy.

But it isn’t all bad.

While the world itself will never be your ally, you’ll find people who are willing to be your friend if you can form that bond with them. In turn, they will be willing to help you get through life.

Are there conspiracies in this world that make it hard for someone to live a good life free of stress, pain, and suffering? Of course! But, we must acknowledge and face them head-on – no matter what. It doesn’t mean that we should use said conspiracies as crutches or excuses to not do good for ourselves. Hell, in fact, those behind the conspiracies would love it if we give up and give in to the darkness of the world. So we must do good for ourselves. We must treat each other with kindness. We must show empathy to those who aren’t doing too well mentally; showing them that they’re not alone in this cruel, cold world.

That’s how we defeat the conspiracies of the world.

Next: Welcome to Yamazaki.

AFTERWORD :

1. I find it funny that Hitomi names herself “HANA-HANA” on the OFF suicide forums when Hana means “Happiness” in Arabic and “hope” in Kurdish as Hitomi was neither happy nor hopeful. I do not know if Takimoto (or the writers of the anime version of NHK) was aware of this and used that as irony.

2. At the time of this article’s publishing, I am on Chapter 9 of the original novel. However, I probably will not edit said article to reflect anything from the novel because I’m lazy.

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The Swarthy Nerd Podcast
A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in nerd culture. Every Tuesdays we drop episodes containing serious and laidback topics while Saturdays we drop episodes talking about TV shows, anime, film, comics, manga, and video games.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on January 27, 2022

anime 2

Welcome to the Self-Reflection: An Welcome to the NHK Anime RetrospectPart 1: Introduction

You know, the arts have so much power – anime include. There’s something about anime that can change people for the better. It’s common to hear anime fans declare that a certain anime made them a better person. I myself am not immune to that power.

As I’ve oft-stated, the anime that changed me was Kyoto Animation’s (in)famous The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. First, it was my first “non-normie” anime. Second, it opened my eyes to the wild, wild world of internet otaku-ism (the mid-to-late 2000s was an amazing time to be an anime fan on the internet). Finally, and most important, it inspired me to want to leave my mark on the world – to show that I exist.

Haruhi’s existence monologue still resonates to this day.

Around the same time I got into Haruhi in 2009, I was introduced to Welcome to the N.H.K (N.H.K) from a former friend who was willing to let me borrow his copy of it. Foolishly I decline; as I thought it was about the actual Japanese TV broadcast network NHK WORLD-JAPAN. I (at the time) had no interest in television production.

Plus, can you blame me for assuming that it was about TV production based on the title? Hell, I even thought Satou was a stressed-out TV producer who drank a lot (because of the open beer can on the promotional art). I also thought that the bunny girls (Hitomi and Misaki, I assume) on said promotional art was Satou’s playful and flirtatious interim who were complete screw-ups who caused Satou to drink.

…I should have actually researched the show first before blowing it off back in 2009.
If I did, maybe NHK would have changed my life more than Haruhi did.

*****

It wouldn’t be until 2016 when I learned the truth about N.H.K. The truth? N.H.K is an anime based off a novel written by Tatsuhiko Takimoto about a 22-year-old college dropout named Satou Tatsuhiro who has been living as a hikikomori for the past four years; believing that his condition was influenced by an evil organization named the “Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai”. The group’s goal? To transform healthy young adults of Japan into socially inept shut-ins.

Now, knowing this, did I give N.H.K a chance then?

Well, everyone, the answer to that is….

Nah! 🙂

I dunno why, but I waited until late Summer 2019 to finally watch N.H.K…up until the final arc where I put it on hold for anime such as High Score Girl season 2 and Ascendance of a Bookworm. When both of those shows ended, did I pick Welcome to the N.H.K up again?

Of course, I did!

…on January 22^nd, 2022 when I found out that the 20^th anniversary of the novel was a week away. That’s when I decided to restart the series so I could write about it for said 20^th anniversary!

(Better late than never, right?)

As I restarted N.H.K, I started to think:

‘What if I had seen this way back in 2009 when I was 19 instead of 30, then finishing it at age 32? Maybe I wouldn’t have this habit of starting anime and TV shows and never finishing them or putting them on hold forever? I would have seen Satou waste four years of his life doing nothing which would have led me to not waste time like that. Would my life right now would had been way better than it is currently? I wish I never blew this series off because I KNOW it would have changed my life…’‘

NHK made me reflect. Not just on the show, but on my life for the past decade. Not saying I wasted most of my 20s, but I could have done a lot better with my 20s. I swear, if I would have given N.H.K a chance in 2009, I think my life would be greater than what it is right now.

It didn’t help that I saw myself in each of the main characters of the anime. While fans stated that they find themselves in one of the four core characters, I can’t. In fact, I found myself in ALL of the four main cast members. Hitomi. Karou. Misaki. Satou. Each of them I could say represent different parts of my 20s.

For the next few weeks, in celebration of the 20^th anniversary of the original novel, I’m going to explore each of the main characters and not just reflect on them, but on myself. Because I truly believe the anime and novel are life-changing and it deserves more praise, more fans, and more love in general.

If you’re down with that, then join me as I explore the conspiracy maniac Hitomi and how her words, “Being a hard-working adult” hits home with me!

Link to Hitomi Retrospect:
https://yukithesnowman.com/2022/01/27/welcome-to-the-self-reflection-an-welcome-to-the-nhk-anime-retrospect-part-2-hitomi/

RELATED ARTICLES/ESSAYS BY ME:

Hikkikomori: The Digital Age Hermit
https://yukithesnowman.com/2019/09/03/hikikomori-the-digital-age-hermit/

2. Fandom: The Ultimate Secuirty Blanket
https://yukithesnowman.com/2020/06/25/fandom-the-ultimate-security-blanket/

3.Handcuffed by Geek Culture
https://swarthynerd.com/handcuffed-by-geek-culture-ep-123

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The Swarthy Nerd Podcast
A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in nerd culture. Every Tuesdays we drop episodes containing serious and laidback topics while Saturdays we drop episodes talking about TV shows, anime, film, comics, manga, and video games.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on January 27, 2022

anime 0

The Passion of the Weirdos: My Dress-Up Darling First Impressions

I can fondly remember the day when I discovered the extravagant world of cosplay. It was during my freshman year of high school when I was getting into the SNES era Final Fantasy games through Final Fantasy VI. As I started to fall in love with Final Fantasy VI, I was curious about what more it had to offer after my first run of it.

So, one day, I stumbled upon a romhack of Final Fantasy VI titled Awful Fantasy 3: made by the clearly great and righteous people of the Something Awful forums who totally aren’t toxic folks. I won’t go into many details because I forgot about most of the story of Awful Fantasy 3 due to the passage of time (and the passage of alcohol, weed, and shrooms through my body over the years), but I do remember that the game mentioned cosplayers a lot.

According to Awful Fantasy 3, cosplayers were deranged people with possible mental health illnesses who gathered around at convention centers across America. These people spent their time at conventions creating conflict and engaging the vilest of debauchery one human can do in a weekend dressed up as their favorite characters from nerd media. Awful Fantasy 3 drove the point home that cosplayers were the enemy of the society who deserves to be purged to cleanse the world of their filth.

The years have taken a toll on poor little Relm.

As fate would have it, a few days later, I managed to catch a replay of g4’s G-Phoria 2003 Game Awards Show during their lead-up to their 2004’s Game Awards Show. What made this special was that there was a special cosplay segment for fans to show off their cosplay celebrating video games and anime. However, what caught my eye from the segment was a short, two-minute skit featuring cosplayers from Kingdom Hearts. One of them was a grown-ass man with a five ‘o clock shadow dressed as Sora. Another guy was dressed up as Ansem.

In blackface.
On national TV.
Yeep.

And nerds wonder why they got bullied and judged for being nerds before the 2010s.

So, after seeing that blackface cosplay mess in G-Phoria 2003, I came to a great and enlightened understanding of why the folks over at Something Awful wanted to purge the world of cosplay and cosplayers. Me too. Fourteen years old Yuki wanted to round them all up with their families, put them in a sporting venue, tied them to stakes, and gun them all down in front of their loved ones like we’re in North Korea best Korea. But for real, that was a horrible first impression of the world of cosplay and cosplayers.

(My disdain for you cosplayers has yet to wane.)

However, what didn’t leave me with a horrible first impression when it comes to the world of cosplay and cosplayers is Cloverworks’s latest animation series: My Dress Up Darling. Directed by Keisuke Shinohara My Dress-Up Darling centers around co-protagonist Wakana Gojo: a young first-year high-school student who yearns of becoming a hina doll creator. It is because of his hobby of doll maki- wait, sorry, hina creation (y’all know, we gotta be culturally correct to make it less disturbing that a high school male is making dolls) hobby that Wakana has never made any friends.

That is until the popular gyaru Marin Kitagawa crash lands into his life.

In an alternate universe, she lands on her neck and dies.

Marin is a giant otaku cosplayer. Or she would be a cosplayer if she didn’t have the sewing skills of a special needs snail. However, she makes up for it in being a pervert who likes to talk about ero-games that features sex slaves, gothic lolitas in bondage chains being gagged, and super happy endings (it’s up to you to come up with what she meant by “super happy ending” given that Marin’s a perv) out in public. Because, you know, if you gonna have an anime girl who was clearly designed to be waifu of the season and possibly waifu of the year, you gotta make her a pervert to cater to males who’ll never have a chance with real women who enjoy things like cosplay, being perverted, and fucked up h-games with sex slaves!

Marin, look, people don’t generally talk about their kinks to people they barely know.

After talking to Wakana on why he shouldn’t let his classmates take advantage of him, Marin decides to take advantage of Wakana by asking him to make her an outfit based off her favorite hentai video game character. This is due to her seeing Wakana sewing in the old sewing club room of their school. She becomes all giddily that someone in her class can sew and help her bring her favorite anime porn game character to life through the magic of cosplay!

Typical anime rom-com hilariously pops off. Marin strips behind Wakana to put on her shitty, raggedy cosplay while Wakana is being a scared little pussy scared of the pussy. Marin projects her creepy fetishes (and possible crimes of harboring sex slaves at her house and having non-consensual sex) onto a fictional character so Wakana doesn’t freak out and assume that Marin is a degenerate.

Later, we see that Wakana truly doesn’t have any experience with girls as Marin comes over to his house so that he can take her measurements for said cosplay while she’s wearing a swimsuit. Wakana is incredibly flustered by it. But’s it’s cool because Marin also winds up also flustered when Wakana has to get up close and personal to measure her inseam. And wow, how amazing. They discover that they’re both awkward little weirdos when it comes to the opposite sex and what they’re into.

How profound!
How fuckin’ inspiring for all the awkward ass nerds watching this show!
Little dipshits!

But, I can’t lie: As cliche as it is, I do find it admirable that both Wakana and Marin’s friendship blossomed over the fact that they are weirdos who’ve struggled to share their most sacred passion with others who get where they’re coming from. From their new friendship, they found empowerment in being able to express themselves with their art.

And that’s a great thing.

I wholeheartedly believe that people deserve to share their hobbies with those who won’t judge them for said hobbies (as long as the hobbies are ethical and morally right, of course). From what I’ve noticed from the first two episodes, acceptance and passion will be two of the core themes of My Dressup Darling…outside of the whole cosplay thing, obviously.

While on the topic of noticing things, I couldn’t help but be aware of the highly detailed and amazing character design, art, and animation. I mean, you would have to be a fool to work on an animation project that is catered around cosplay (and fashion I assume) and not place your focus on the visuals. I love how Marin’s “cosplay” visually looks like it was put together by someone who didn’t know what they were doing down to the horrible, careless stitching job.

You can feel the passion that Marin has for Shizuku-tan and the game she’s from as she talks about her with expressive body movement at the beginning of episode 2. It’s like talking to that one incredibly passionate friend who’s expressing her love towards something that gives her joy; seeing them become alive through their words, tone, and body language.

On the subject of Shizuku, she has a beautiful design with her purple, red, and black color scheme as well as her being a gothic lolita. Don’t be shocked when we see a lot of women cosplaying as Shizuku during the 2022 anime convention season.

Okay, I now see why Marin is a fan of Shizuku. Me too.

I also gotta give praise to the clever usage of lighting in this show. Now, I’m not gonna act like I’m some pretentious dipshit elitist film school student who hasn’t done anything with their knowledge of filmmaking outside of making YouTube videos over the lighting. But, I love how in the first episode when Wakana is having his inner monologue about Marin and her friends, there is this brightness that surrounds Marin; telling us about Marin’s nature without actually telling us. In comparison, when Wakana talks about himself, the shot is dull and dark. This tells us that Wakana’s life perhaps hasn’t been the best: with him being an orphan, battling insecurities, and being friendless. It isn’t until he becomes friends with Marin that shots with him are bright.

At the time of this article’s publishing, My Dressup Darling is a wonderful show of how people can come alive when sharing their passion as well as helping others take said passion to the next level. I can’t help myself but root for Wakana to get over his fears of being judged for what he like as well as rooting for Marin to bring her favorite character to life through the power of cosplay. The two have clear chemistry that is driven by their love for their hobbies. I’m tempted to just say screw it and read the manga to get ahead because I am curious about these two and their story.

My only gripe I have with this show so far is that Wakana is, again, your typical high-school male student who is scared of being around a (half-naked) girl when Marin visited him at his house to get measured. Seriously, Japan, kill this trope – now. Yall wonder why your birthrate is so low and yall can’t get young men to get into physical relationships with women.

If you’re someone who loves sewing, cosplay, ever dealt with struggling to express your passion, or just want a feel-good rom-com about two passionate weirdos, I can’t recommend My Dressup Darling enough. With how popular it is and the community talking about it daily, I wouldn’t be shocked if it becomes a contender for anime of the 2022 winter season. I’ll even go as far as saying that it could be anime of the year.

(…don’t come after me if it doesn’t become either anime of the season or year.)

(Just wanted to add this cool shot of Marin messing with her hair)

The Swarthy Nerd Podcast
A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in nerd culture. Every Tuesdays we drop episodes containing serious and laidback topics while Saturdays we drop episodes talking about TV shows, anime, film, comics, manga, and video games.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on January 19, 2022

Uncategorized 0

Our Experience With 90s/2000s Internet (Swarthy Nerd Podcast)

https://swarthynerd.com/our-experience-with-90s2000s-internet-ep-135

Yuki and TV Guru remembrance over Wild, Wild West days of the internet as they talk classic websites such as Rotten.com, Angelfire, and Geocities. They also talk about early chat rooms and anime websites.

(The Swarthy Nerd Podcast is the world’s first and only Black Nerd Empowerment podcast in existence today. Join my co-host The TV Guru 108 and myself, Yuki The Snowman every Tuesday and Saturday as we talk about comics, anime, gaming, TV, and film as well as serious topics such as white supremacy in geek culture)

By Yuki The Snowman Posted on January 6, 2022

black nerd 0

The Need For A Renaissance Black Nerd

Black nerds, especially my fellow Black nerds who can trace their lineage to American slavery, you greatly disappoint me.

How is it that we live in a time where nerd culture is the dominant culture in entertainment, Black Americans have proven themselves to be the masters and creators of mainstream culture itself, yet, we have Black nerds who refuse to better themselves? Why do many of my fellow Black nerds use their nerdom to hide from their reality and problems as opposed to embracing and dominating them? What will it take for you Black Nerds to stop talking about nerdy things all the time and have other interests? When will you guys wake up and realize you are Black first and that being a nerd won’t save you from systematic white supremacy?

For the past few years, these are a few things I have pondered over with other Black nerds. Some have agreed with me while most others think I’m an asshole who doesn’t need to think and talk about race with nerds all the time because I make them and their white friends uncomfortable (by the way: I’m not an asshole – I’m the asshole and your white friends like me more because I have balls unlike your cowardly, weak Black ass).

Either way, it made me realize something: We need a Renaissance Black Nerd. You know, like a Renaissance Man, but he’s a Black nerd instead. Now, you may be wondering: What’s a Renaissance Black Nerd, why do we need them, and how to become them?

Well, let’s get right into that!

WHAT IS A RENAISSANCE BLACK NERD

A Renaissance Black Nerd is a Black nerd whose interests span beyond nerd culture. He refuses to be just a nerd with superficial knowledge and hobbies; knowing that it won’t get him far with others and in life.

He must have swagger, charm, and balls – the latter being the most valuable. The Renaissance Black Nerd makes it a point to explore topics that normies can relate to as to not alienate others or himself from discussions.

He can be a fan of live-action mainstream shows such as Power, BMF, and Empire as well as being a fan of anime such as My Hero, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Demon Slayer. He could go one step further and watch anime that isn’t on the mainstream’s radar like Troublesome Old Man and Odd Taxi or classic anime like Project A-Ko and Dirty Pair (1985); introducing both normies and entry-level anime fans to lesser-known shows in addition to holding conversations with hardcore otaku who’re fans of older and obscure anime.

He works diligently to improve himself. He takes care of his health by working out and avoiding fast and junk food. He doesn’t allow escapism media to neither control his life nor shields him from reality. He views his hobbies as luxuries – not necessities.

Finally, The Renaissance Black Nerd wants not to be a better nerd – but a better person. Seeking to be merely a better nerd only places limitations, but being the best version of you never does. He acknowledges that the Black nerd community needs someone like him; even if he has to step on a few toes and piss people off to get his way and change the community for the better.

WHY DO WE NEED A RENAISSANCE BLACK NERD

With the understanding of what is a Renaissance Black Nerd, we can look further into why we need them for the Black Nerd community.

First, there’s a disturbing amount of Black nerds who’re either cornballs, goofballs, coons, or willfully ignorant towards white supremacy in and out of geek culture and circles. They desperately yearn for attention and acceptance from white people – especially white nerds. This could be rooted in not being popular with their Black peers, befriending mostly white nerds, and nerd culture not being socially accepted before the 2010s…supposedly.

I say supposedly because the Black community in general (especially Foundational Black Americans) do love gaming, movies, TV shows, anime, and comics. We are some of the biggest, if not, the biggest consumers of them. However, most of us didn’t allow those things to consume our lives and use them as a way to build a false identity via escapism unlike the few who did (emulating their cornball white nerd “peers”).

Second, Black nerds generally need to have outside interests as there are some who are handcuffed by and to geek culture. No one neither respects nor cares about your fantasy fist-fight between Mileena from Mortal Kombat and Komi from Komi Can’t Communicate” while Komi is peeing herself out of fear for her life and Ren Yamai is collecting her pee to use later on at night when she is laying up in her bed having dirty thoughts about Komi.

That’s not interesting. It won’t get people interested in you. You know what will? Exploring and branching out of your comfort zone (more on this later). Stop sticking to only watching anime and watch live-action TV shows. Keep up on what’s going on in sports. Follow both local and national news and dive deeper into the world of politics so you can talk to people.

You’ll get more respect from upping your game that way.

Finally, to conclude, Black nerds need to do better. We need to be aware of how we present ourselves to the world. Image is everything: from your grooming, to the clothes you wear, and yes, even your weight. It doesn’t hurt to get a haircut every once in a while. If you’re gonna wear an anime shirt in public, at least make sure it fits (know that people still going to think you’re immature for wearing one, regardless). Don’t shy away from dressing maturely. Not saying to go out and buy a suit, but you want well-fitting clothes for every occasion: work, interviews, upscale bars/clubs, casual/romantic dates, etc. If you’re fat, exercise! If you’re a skinny twig, build muscle! Take care of your body, health, and mind!

Better your social skills – even if you’re an introvert! Not saying you to become the master of charisma, but work on building some charm to draw people into you. This is accomplished by following what I stated earlier above.

HOW TO BECOME A RENAISSANCE BLACK NERD

Armed with the knowledge of what is and why we need a Renaissance Black Nerd, you can now learn how to become one.

To start, branch away from and slow down on the nerdiness. You shouldn’t forgo it completely, but you can’t entertain or empower yourself or others with useless nerd triviality. People (especially women) love those who are well-versed in many topics and display self-empowerment, growth, and useable everlasting tangibles. If you can do that then you will be rewarded greatly.

Next, you must be willing to escape your comfort zone. Say you only leisurely travel out-of-state for conventions weekends. Get out of your comfort zone by spending 3-4 days before the convention exploring the city in which the convention is hosted. Explore Chicago if you’re going there for Anime Central. Make some time to spend a few days wandering Los Angeles if you’re there for Anime Expo. Don’t be scared to talk to the locals of the city and learn about the people who live in them daily. Ask them what’s going on in the city, where are the best restaurants, bars, parks, and sites to visit. Who knows? You might love it to the point that you want to return to that city not for a convention, but because of how dope the city’s culture is.

Lastly, you must embrace your Blackness. You are Black First and foremost. Believe it or not, these white folks respect Black men and women who aren’t buck dancing, shuckin’ and jivin’ brown-nosing coons on the job. They can’t run games on Black men and women who showcase superior intelligence and stand up to the system of white supremacy in the white-run and operated workforce.

Do this, Black nerd:

At the next event you’re attending (may it be a party, convention, what have you) talk to these white folks about politics, current events, nerd/pop culture, and history. Be casual and friendly with it at first, don’t start aggressively. Disarm them with a smile. Ask them about where their family originated. Example: When talking to someone who claims their roots are Italian, ask them if they’re family from North Italy or South Italy. If they respond with South Italy, say “Oh, Sicily! I can tell you’re from Sicily because of the darker skin and hair!” Throw in some history with how the Moors conquered Sicily during the Medieval Ages and that’s why they have dark hair and skin.

(They’re also talking shit about you behind your back because you reminded them that they have that Moorish blood in them despite claiming white)

To conclude, the Black Nerd community needs more of us to become Renaissance Black Nerds. While it’s cool to love being a nerd, it doesn’t hurt to use your nerdy ways to empower yourself. We need to make sure that the cornball goofball Black Nerds get overthrown and replace with a Renaissance Black Nerd that’ll better the image of the Black Nerd. Nerd Culture is on the rise and has become mainstream. Now more than ever, it’s cool to be a nerd. Black Empowerment is on the rise.

Let’s use that for our advantage my fellow Renaissance Black Nerds!

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The Swarthy Nerd Podcast
A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in nerd culture. Every Tuesdays we drop episodes containing serious and laidback topics while Saturdays we drop episodes talking about TV shows, anime, film, comics, manga, and video games.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on January 5, 2022

Fire Emblem 0

Beloved One: Why I Love Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (Part 1)

NOTE: This article essay will contain spoilers for the video game Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. If you are planning to play this game in the future then I HIGHLY recommend going in blind.

Also, for you weirdo cornball hardcore Genealogy of the Holy War fans: For the most part, I’ll be using the modern fan translation names for characters, items, and locations. For in-game quotes, however, I will be using the Reparation 0.78d translation patch script from Serenes Forest. Why? Well because I’m old enough to remember when that patch first came into the community. I’m also old enough to have some fun with both your young aunt and mom while they’re dressed up as Deidre and Tailtiu while I’m recording everything and I got some Marvin Gaye music playing in the background so don’t try me. Plus, I don’t feel like replaying the Project Naga patch for quotes.

Anyway, let’s get to it!

A few months ago, I was watching Projared’s retrospective on Final Fantasy VI. In the introduction, he mentioned that most gamers have that one special game that had made the biggest impact on their life. It is that one single game that shaped us into becoming the person we are today.

A game that we will never forget.

For me, that game is Intelligent System’s Fire Emblem 4: Genealogy of the Holy War, released on May 14^th, 1996 for the Super Famicom (the Super Nintendo in the West). Genealogy of the Holy War or FE4 for short is a strategy role-playing game, serving as the fourth installment of the famed Fire Emblem series that is often hated on by ~~pedophiles~~ Super Smash Bros. fans. Directed, designed, and written by series creator Shouzou Kaga and produced by the late Gunpei Yokoi, the game take place on the continent of Jugdral (which is based on some Norse myths of something, idunno I’m not that much of a nerd).

Jugdral is divided into eight countries. They are The Kingdom of Grannvale, The Kingdom of Verdane, The Kingdom of Agustra, the Munster District, The Kingdom of Thracia, The Republic of Miletos, the Kingdom of Silesse, and the Kingdom of Issach.

Mentioned in Kaga’s designer notes, Judgral exists in the same world as Archanea; the continent in which the events of Fire Emblem: Dark Dragon and Sword of Light (FE1, i.e. the irrelevant Marth’s game)take place. Historically, FE4’s events predate FE1’s by thousands of years.

In the Grann Year 757, barbaric warriors from Issach raise an army to attack the city of Darna: southwest of the Aed Desert. Upon hearing the news, Prince Kurth of Grannvale and his confidant Lord Byran of Chaply set out to investigate.

Taking advantage of the brewing conflict, Verdane builds an army to invade Grannvale. Leading the invasion (on orders of his otherwise pacifist father, King Batu) is Prince Gandolf (and no, not the Gandolf portrayed by legendary fruit booty actor Sir Ian Mckellen, mind you). Gandolf successfully captures Junby Castle; slaughtering most of its knights and civilians. Following that, he proceeds to kidnap Junby’s princess, Aideen to take her as his bride.

Hearing news of his childhood friend’s kidnapping, the main character Sigurd; scion of Chaply and son of Lord Byron, vows to deliver justice to Verdane. Joining up with Sigurd are his loyal knights: Noish; a proper and diligent man, Alec; a playful flirty guy, and Arden; the slow one.

This is Sigurd. He almost got the world destroyed because he nutted in and married an one-night stand.

FE4 starts simple. Aideen’s kidnapping can be akin to her fellow yet mainstream Nintendo princess contemporaries Zelda or Peach’s kidnapping in their games and it’s up to the hero to save her.

But that’s where the comparison ends in terms of princesses getting kidnapped and such.

Aideen’s kidnapping and the invasions were two smaller steps of a much larger and insidious plan for one cult – the Lopty Cult – to not only rule the world, but plunge it back into the darkness it once suffered under centuries prior.

It doesn’t just end there.

While the invasions were orchestrated by the Lopty Cult, it must be mentioned that the cult had “help” from an ambitious leader who desired to end bigotry and discrimination by any means. Even if those means include pretending to be an ally for multiple leaders only to set them up for death – and personally murdering Sigurd himself so he can rule Granvelle alone as emperor.

Not so simple, huh?

If you’re like me, you didn’t expect things in FE4 to play out the way they did. Neither you nor I could have predicted that something as innocent as Sigurd marrying Deidre would lead the world to near ruin. Furthermore, Sigurd would face his own personal tragedies in his short life.

Tragedies such as:

Branded as a traitor by his beloved motherland after being framed for the assassination of Prince Kurth.
Forced into fighting his best friend Elidgan to the death.
Hearing news that his little sister Ethlyn and brother-in-law Quan were murdered in an ambush by King Travant of Thracia.

And that’s not even the tip of the iceberg of FE4’s story and how dark it can get.

Genealogy of the Holy War is the darkest entry of the series (don’t listen to those Scared Stones fanboys who claim that game is the darkest; they don’t know what they’re talking about all they know is how to indulge in their necrophilia kink through Orson). The story features controversial themes and topics such as incest, rape, abuse, and children sacrifice.

It’s not a tale of happiness, glory, and triumph.

Even when our heroes are ultimately victorious, the continent of Grannvale has been torn apart by war. Royal families have been split apart due to petty differences or lust for power. The children of these once-grand and proud families are forced to repair their bloodline’s reputation. Smaller nations are either engaged in civil wars or have been completely abandoned by the empire; left at the mercy of savage bandits and thieves.

To quote a gentleman from The Godfather of Harlem: “I’ve learned one thing about war, Bump. Nobody really wins.”

***

Shouzou Kaga paints war not in black and white, but with spots of gray. While of course there are enemies that the player must defeat leading up to the ultimate big evil, Kaga likes to portray these enemies as heroes in their own right. This shines clearly with certain villains.

Examples:

Ruthless King Travant of Thracia is viewed by Grannvale as a despicable man who, through the eyes of others, thoroughly disrespects the code of knighthood. He, along with his famed Dragon Knights, is often compared to hyenas: willing to slaughter anyone for cash.

In Chapter 5 of FE4, Travant uses Quan’s 3-year-old daughter, Altena, as a human shield during an ambush attack by Thracia against Quan’s troops. Travant threaten to murder Altena if Quan didn’t surrender his holy lance, the Gae Bulg to him. After killing Quan and his wife Ethlyn, Travant raises Altena as his own daughter: not out of love or guilt, but to use her as a weapon against her own people and surviving family members in the future.

However, if one were to dig deep into Thracia’s situation, one will come to understand Travant’s actions.

Travant’s kingdom, South Thracia, is surrounded by steep mountain ranges that can barely provide resources for its people. For years, Travant requested aid from North Thracia (as North Thracia’s soil and land are heavily enriched with minerals) only to be shot down by Quan and his family. Therefore, South Thracia suffers from systematic poverty.

To combat poverty, men take up mercenary and farming jobs. Women take whatever job they can to provide for their family (they’re selling that poverty monkey on the “Me love you long time” side of the game).

South Thracia’s situation is beyond dire.

While outsiders of South Thracia see Travant as a cutthroat man, his people view him as the liberator who’ll deliver them from poverty. Travant is a patriot who is fed up with his people’s suffering.

In-game map of Thracia from Fire Emblem 4: Genealogy of the Holy War

Next, Arvis – the ambitious leader who spearheaded most of the game’s events. Arvis’s a tragic man who, as Seliph (son of Sigurd) puts it, “a victim swept by fate”.

At the age of seven, Arvis witnessed his father, Victor, committing suicide. His mother, Cigyun, ran off with another man (Prince Kurth) due to Victor’s womanizing actions (he even raped Cigyun’s favorite maid; impregnating her with Arvis’s half-brother, Azel). From these events, Arvis was forced to ascend the throne at an early age.

Through Cigyun, Arvis is the descendant of Maera: a holy man who had the moral courage to fight against his oppressive kin: The Loptrian Empire. Maera was a good man; however, he had the blood of the demonic god Loptous coursing through his veins.

Arvis: A man whose only crime was to free people (and the crime of raw-doggin’ his half-sister Deidre and making her spawn a demon child nine months later)

Now, for those unaware of FE4’s lore (why are you even here?), you may be wondering who’s Loptous and the Loptrian are. Well, let’s go back to how Judgrall is connected to Archena.

Avris (and Maera)’s ancestor, Galle I, was a simple bishop who traveled the world in search of the legendary Earth Dragon tribe. Landing in Archena, Galle would encounter the Earth Dragon, Loptous. In exchange for raw power, Galle would offer his body and soul as a vessel for Loptous.

Later, Galle returned to Judgral; using his new powers to organize a mass army to effortlessly conquer the continent. Galle and his decedents would ruthlessly rule Judgral for two centuries. The Loptrain Empire fell when Galle’s decedent, Galle the Seventeenth was killed by the Twelve Crusaders (ancestors of some of the major heroes and villains of FE4), with the help of Maera: Galle’s younger brother.

Before his death, Maera moved to the Spirit Forest: a secluded forest hidden from the outside world to protect his descendants from harm. He’d issue both a warning and an order to his descendants. The order and warning: they are only allowed to produce one child per generation.

Why?

If a generation produced multiple children, it’s possible for the off-springs to engage in incestuous relationships to produce a child with major Lotpous Blood – therefore reviving the dark god himself and returning the world back into the darkness it was once saved from.

Guess who has Lotpous blood in his veins?
Yep. Arvis.

If that information were to be leaked, Arvis would be executed regardless if he worshiped Loptous or not. Manfroy, the current leader of the Lotpous Cult, knows this. Therefore, he seeks to take advantage of Arvis’ cursed bloodline and vision of anti-bigotry by blackmailing Arvis; forcing the duke to comply with Manfroy’s wishes (allowing the Lopty Church to operate in the open once Arvis ascends the Grannvale throne among other things).

Everything mentioned up to this point is the reason why Arvis wants to be the champion of all those who’re facing oppression just for who they are. He doesn’t want other people to live in fear because of their ethnic background like him. He wants to end bigotry by any means necessary – something that would eventually become corrupted thanks to Manfroy.

And since we’re on him, let’s talk about the man himself: Manfroy.

Note that Manfroy and the Lopty Sect’s actions are heinous and inexcusable. No amount of unjust suffering and oppression have been done unto them because of their ancestor’s actions gives them pardon for continuing the pattern of death and destruction.

Manfroy. He kinda had the right idea with liberating his people, but…

That said, we must understand the reasoning behind the Lopty Sect’s actions. Let’s refer to a scene in Chapter 7 of the game: Crossing The Desert.

Upon capturing the Lopty operated Aed Shrine, Seliph, and his advisor Lewyn, examine a temple underneath the shrine. As they walk around the ruins, Lewyn tells Seliph of how descendants of the Lopty Empire were forced to live within the depths of the Aed Desert after the defeat of Galle the 17th and the fall of the empire; as they feared execution due to their bloodline. He expresses doubts that they differed much from himself and Seliph in terms of life, but over time, the descendants succumbed to the darkness and evil within their hearts.

Seliph replies that it’s like the decedents are being punished for their forefather’s sins. Following, he discovers a prayer for the revival of Lopotusu written on the walls. He’s stunned that the prayer was written by a child.

Levin finishes the conversation by stating, quote,: “You have to be careful when placing labels on good and evil, Seliph. Never waste your anger on individuals. Always focus it on the evil within all of us.”

Personally, Levin’s statement and Seliph’s shock hits hard here. Imagine being oppressed for generations just because of your background. Often told that you deserve to be punished simply because of those who fear what you are capable of due to your genetics. Your oppressors strip you of resources to ensure your people won’t survive. Hopeless, you turn into the darkness within your heart. Maybe if you had a little bit of power, you could get back at your oppressors by any means – even if those means include doing unthinkable things to them and their children.

(You know, maybe Manfory and the Lotpy Church had the right idea with their methods).

***

Prior to me playing FE4, the villains in the games I played (excluding Final Fantasy VI) were your simply plain and honestly, cartoonish bad guys. Evil guys doing evil things simply because they were evil. Nothing else. Nothing more. The games never drove into why they chose the route of evil and darkness; they just told you that they were the baddies and that you had to defeat them. However, the thing that I love about Genealogy of the Holy War is that Kaga designed and wrote the villains in a way that makes you understand why they were “evil”.

Villains like Manfroy, Travant, and Arvis presented their reasons behind their cruel actions with depth. Reasons that some players could relate to. You might have lived in an area that was stricken by poverty. You saw how people struggled to put something on the table for their families. You know first hand the despair that comes with poverty. You could click with Arvis and Manfroy because you’ve faced systematic oppression just because of your race. If given the power and opportunity, you would do what Manfroy and his crew did to liberate your people and do unimaginable harm to your oppressors just so you can make them suffer like they made you suffer (again, maybe Manfroy and his people were in the right).

Today in gaming, it’s common to have well-written villains with depth beyond them being evil for the sake of evil. It’s almost a requirement in gaming nowadays. However, (to my knowledge), back when FE4 first came out, villains with the depth of the FE4 bad guys weren’t common in gaming. I’m not saying that it was a huge groundbreaking game-changer for the video game industry, but still, it was something different.

Overall, that’s one thing that I love about FE4. However, what other things about the game that I love about it to the point that I’m always talking about it? Find out in part two!

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A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in the nerd and Eastern otaku fandoms. Every Tuesday join @superlostfan108 and @weebtrashyuki the founders of http://www.swarthynerd.com for their very informative podcast talking about all things nerdy. No desperate bootlicking self-hating negus who was never accepted by Black normies for being too weird for their love of anime and comic books by the Black community allowed. Go drink bleach.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on October 27, 2021

pop culture 0

Fresh Eyes: Experiencing New Media For the First Time

(Podcast version: https://swarthynerd.com/the-benefits-of-fresh-eyes-ep-119)

Recently, I’ve been watching gameplay streams of Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War and Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 by new players. As a fan of both games, it was interesting seeing their first experience as they reminded me of when I had first gotten into the Fire Emblem series nearly fifteen years ago. Admittedly, I was quite jealous of their fresh experience; something I’ll never have again.

At the same time, I decided to watch a few classic films that I’ve never seen. These films were Full Metal Jacket, The Big Lebowski, Sixteen Candles, Beverley Hills Cop, Ferris Buller’s Day Off, and The Breakfast Club to name a few. All greats that millions already seen, however, I’ve just now discovering them. Hell, there are countless popular media pieces I’ve yet to experience that everyone praises. I have a few reasons for that.

For video games, I simply didn’t have the funds to buy new consoles (and if I did, I decided to use the money to travel). For movies and TV shows: either they didn’t draw my interests, or I didn’t care. When it came to anime, it was a nightmare to access a series before streaming services like Crunchyroll existed. You could go to hell if you wanted me to buy a volume of an anime series that only contained three episodes on a disc for $100+ back in the day.

(Thank God for torrents services dedicated to anime)

The undefeated champion for broke anime fans in the 2000s

As I grew older, branched away from my media comfort zone (anime), and became more involve with the Swarthy Nerd Podcast, and this blog, I’m starting to go back and view movies that I never watched in the past.

As my podcast co-host The TV Guru always tell me, I do have a few golden advantages that comes with not watching these old movies before:

Because I’m watching these movies years after they were release, I am not blinded by the bias of nostalgia that most fans have who can’t let go of the past.
Most of my takes on the media I’ve never seen prior are fresh and different from most others. I bring something special unlike most others.
Veteran fans will be interested in what I have to say as a newcomer (until I start to completely tear apart their favorite film)

That said, this brings us to the topic of this post: Fresh Eyes: Experiencing New Media For the First Time. We’ll discuss how and why being new to a piece of media years after its release can have its benefits in terms of fan discussions. However, as a counter, we’ll also go over how there are flaws of waiting too long to consume older media.

PART 1: THE BENEFITS OF FRESH EYES

As a newcomer to older media, you have a few advantages that seasoned fans don’t have. The obvious one is being that you’re having that new, first-time experience that long-time fans will never have again – no matter how many times they try with their select favorite. While they’ve been spoiled, you haven’t. Therefore, you can make remarks on certain unfolding events, create predictions, and give personal first-timers insight during your journey. It’s fun to be either proven right or wrong about your predictions and have people react to them.

For example, when I was watching The Breakfast Club, I made a rather wild prediction that Claire/The Princess was going discover Alison/The Basket Case hanging herself from a stall in the girls’ bathroom given Alison looked mental.

Can you blame me? I mean, look at Alison! She appears as if she’s one of those weirdo, possibly autistic white girls with no friends who smells like boiled hotdog water and flaming hot corn chips (she clearly don’t take care of her hair). Hell, maybe she got bullied by some popular girls and that made her withdraw from the school’s society. Dudes ask her out, but it’s either as a joke or they wanna brag about how they were able to rail the weird girl. Therefore, Alison winds up hating herself even more to the point of offing herself (in my head, of course).

Seriously, she looks deranged and mental. Can’t blame me for thinking she was gonna top herself.

Obviously, I was wrong about my predictions about Alison wanting to off herself. It was Brian/The Brain who wanted to end it all. All because he got a bad grade once and doesn’t have the balls to tell his parents that they can’t project their views they have about how he should be as a man onto him.

(But hey! At least I was kinda right about one of the kids wanting to kill themselves!)

A second benefit of having fresh eyes towards older media is that you may discover things that the vets may had not catch or will never catch without your input. This can come from you injecting your own past experiences dealing with media you’ve already consumed or from education. From this, you could teach others something new or give them an original insight that they would never have before.

You may understand how framing works as well as why directors place characters in a certain position in the frame in film. From there, you can educate those who don’t know the power of character position in frames and what the director is trying to tell the viewer. If you’re musically incline and have knowledge within music theory, you can give insights on why the music composer wrote the movie’s theme song in a certain key signature. You can even joke a bit by saying something like “The key signature of Axel F (the theme song of Beverly Hills Cop) is in the key of F Minor as a play on his name!” (funny enough, the key of F Minor is describe as a key to describe death and loss.

Remember: Axel F’s went to California to solve the mystery of his friend’s murder). For those gifted in the visual arts, you can explain how characters wearing certain colors give hints on their personality or how colors are used to give insight on the scene. Your gift can help those appreciate their favorites a lot more.

Finally, the last benefit of being new to a form of old media is that you can invoke feelings of nostalgia within older fans as you discuss your fresh experience. As you discuss your viewpoints and impressions, there’s a chance you’ll encounter a fan commenting on their own experiences, how it made them feel years or even decades ago and show their appreciation that something they loved has a new fan.

Going back to my statements of watching newcomers play older Fire Emblem games, people in the comment were talking about how certain scenes, story-beats, and reveals made them feel on their first playthrough. The streamer would leave his or her remarks with the viwers responding back.

You often see this reaction with older people when young people review older media on social media. If a 20-something is watching an older film from the 80s or 90s, you’ll see those who grew up in those decades reflect on how simple life was back in the day. You might have a person comment how they remember watching said 80s or 90s film at the theater with their girlfriend who later became their wife.

There are many benefits with having fresh eyes towards older media ranging from invoking nostalgic feelings when talking about it with older fans to bringing new views to the table that others may not have.

However, what happen if you’re trying to enter a fandom of an older media piece way too late? What if you try to get into something old only to find countless spoilers online? Let’s answer those questions!

PART 2: The Flaws of Fresh Eyes

One of the most fatal flaws of having fresh eyes when consuming older media late in the game is that you could wind up entering a dead or dying fandom. There are media that are evergreen; thus, they’re blessed with being timeless. However, some media don’t have those blessings – especially within the anime fandom with seasonal viewership having the possibility of killing an anime fanbase.

Let’s take the When They Cry franchise as an example. Before it had its recent renaissance and revival thanks to Higurashi Sotsu/Gou, the Umineko on Stream and Ciconia no Naku Koro Ni, the When They Cry fandom was dead (or at the very least, inactive) Sure, we had some minor Higurashi and Umineko material and news from 07^th Expansion for the hardcore fans to enjoy, but nothing major that would generate new interest or fans. If the renaissance didn’t happen, the When They Cry fanbase would have died out.

With the nonsense discourse *Higurashi Gou/Sotsu* brought the fandom perhaps the franchise should had indeed died.

Second, when it comes to consuming older media, you do risk being spoiled; either by accident or by some cornball asshole on purpose who think you should had consumed it when it first came out (regardless of accessibility and level of obscurity). While some iconic spoilers can’t be avoided and have entered the mainstream conscious, your best bet to avoid spoilers for older media is to – and I know it’s hard for most of you guys – stay the hell off the internet or avoid searching for that media online.

Finally, the last flaw of coming into a media late in the game is that you’re too late. Meaning, everyone has covered every topic in terms of analysis, and discussion. People moved on to other things. Nobody cares about it anymore. Your input won’t mean shit. It’s over. Therefore, it is always good to strike while the iron’s hot. Be the master of timing in that regard.

You have to move on to something new, Firefly fans.

This show is more boring and bland and overrated than your little sister’s OnlyFans page.

CONCLUSION

Does it matter the time of when you consume media in any point of your life? Well, I say if you’re doing it for yourself and your own personal enjoyment, no it doesn’t. You can partake in indulging in something within the arts whenever you feel like it. It’s better late than never as they say. Some may joke and dog on your for being late. However, even if you’re late to the party, some may chat and pick your brains about the media you saw.

When it comes to timeless classics, there will always be people talking about them, so don’t dread about not seeing it sooner. Now, that said, some media is best consumed while the iron is hot: meaning you should do your best to participate while it’s still popular (don’t be one of these cornball hipsters who only mess with art when it’s no longer popular).

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The Swarthy Nerd Podcast
A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in the nerd and Eastern otaku fandoms. Every Tuesday join @superlostfan108 and @weebtrashyuki the founders of http://www.swarthynerd.com for there very informative podcast talking about all things nerdy. No desperate boot licking self hating negus who were never accepted by Black norimes for being too weird for their love of anime and comic books by the Black community allowed. Go drink bleach.

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By Yuki The Snowman Posted on August 31, 2021

anime 0

Why You Should Watch Ikebukuro West Gate Park

We have been blessed with many great anime series this Fall 2020 season. With new thrillers such as Talentless Nana, fresh Shounen series like Studio Mappa’s beautifully animated Jujutsu Kaisen and returning classics such as Haikyu!!, Yashahime (the follow up to Inuyasha), and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou, there’s something for everyone right now. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone in the anime community that there are plenty of buzz throughout message boards, social media pages, and streaming services over these 30+ new shows airing currently in addition to shows still running from the Summer 2020 season.

However, one show that I don’t see being often talked about is studio Doga Kobo’s urban street crime mystery series Ikebukuro West Gate Park (or IWGP for short, which I will refer to the series as such throughout the rest of this article). Based off famous Japanese author Ira Ishida’s 1997 urban mystery novel and 2000 TV series of the same name, IWGP follows street mediator Makoto Majima’s adventures throughout the crime-ridden, gang infested Ikebukuro district of Tokyo as he seeks to bring peace in its streets and relief tension between rival street gangs.

I cannot fault anyone who may had overlooked IWGP this season; especially as it is in competition with heavy hitters such as Akudama Drive, Yashahime, Tonikawa: Over the Moon For You and Higurashi Gou to name a few. Additionally, with real life issues in the foreground of the world’s stage right now, it’s easy to understand why some people may not want to watch an anime like IWGP; as the anime deals with heavy themes such as poverty, drug trafficking, gang violence, murder and so forth.

However, don’t let those real world issues and season’s best and brightest anime shows prevent you from watching IWGP. In fact, if you’re tired of the fantasy driven and laid back anime airing this Fall, and you want something more real and brutal, I have three reasons why you should watch IWGP.

It’s grounded in realism

Unlike most of its animated peers this season, IWGP is grounded and based in reality. You won’t find our hero in an outlandish Shouen-styled battle with senseless asspulls and plot amour. There isn’t anyone here with magical powers that can wipe out a horde of enemies in mere seconds. If you’re hoping that story arcs end with an Eleventh hour deus ex machina stunt, my friend, you’re out of luck (and you should really stop watching anime that does that cliché nonsense due to bad writing).

Instead, IWGP offers normalcy through simple human vs. human interactions and interpersonal growth by the means of daily life in a major city. Street life, normal people having normal interactions, gang warfare and underworld business control the reality of IWGP. Due to that, you’ll find the stories of episodes to be realistic and easy to follow/understand – especially if you are a street person or been involved in street business.

The characters and events that shape the world of IWGP can easily found in the real world. When watching this anime, you may pause and say “I know someone as gentleman-like yet brutal like King” (the secondary hero of IWGP). It’s possible that you could find yourself reflecting on your own street days and starting trouble like the kids in this show.

In fact, I must say that the one thing that IWGP has an huge advantage over the rest of the show this season is that you can easily relate to the cast and the world, which brings me to my next point on why you should watch IWGP.

2. It’s Relatable

Even if you’re not a street person, you can relate to the tales of IWGP with its down-to-earth setting. Each episode of IWGP deals with a person or a story that you can easily find yourself connecting to in the real world. Do you hate drugs and the negative impact it brings to a community? Episode one of IWGP has something for you as Makoto and King bust up an illegal growth house. Mion, the female lead of that episode, had her life nearly ruined by a junkie after they ran her beloved mother over while he was under the influence of a new drug. Mion seeks vengeance to the degree that she’s willing to burn down the building that is a front for the drug operation – even if people are killed in the fire. Her rage towards junkies and drug abuse can echo through the thoughts of those who saw the destructive nature of drugs first hand.

Episode four (which is consider so far at the time of this writing as the most depressing episode of the series) explores what it means to seek justice for the death of a love one as Makoto helps cab driver Ando find the people involved with his son’s Toshi’s death as well as Ando coming to terms with the fact that his son caused his own death with his gangbanging life and short, violent temper.

Now, don’t get me wrong, IWGP isn’t completely dark as an anime, and you don’t need anything dark and gritty to find the characters and their adventures relatable. There’s a rather goofy and childish guy who is building his YouTube career up by performing incredibly childish and wild stunts throughout Ikebukuro; a reflection on how so many young children and adults will do anything to get that YouTube shine. In episode 6, Makoto is rope into playing a major role in an indie film by his film loving friend. It’s like the anime is telling us that is okay to take it easy and have fun.

With that said, it’s time to get into my final point of this article.

3. It’s Different

If you haven’t gotten the point by now, IWGP is different than most other shows currently airing. Not to say there’s anything wrong with wild fantasy shows to help you escape your crappy life, moe blob trash to help you feel better about yourself, or entry-level shounen action shows because you can’t branch out to other anime genre, but it’s okay to have something fresh and different to watch. Not every anime needs a girl to do fanservice shots. Not all shows need someone to fight with martial arts training. Sometimes, you need that grounded reality to balance yourself out and IWGP goes a great job in that right.

So please, do yourself a huge favor and check out IWGP. Its grounded nature in terms of its storytelling allows IWGP to be accessible to most anime fans who may not be into the more outlandish anime that is out there today. The people who make the world of IWGP are highly relatable to the point it can be scary; especially if you find connections between yourself and a certain character.

If that sounds great then please check out IWGP every Tuesdays on Crunchyroll.

[IKEBUKURO WEST GATE PARK PRODUCTION STAFF NOTES]

STUDIO: Doga Kobo (Himouto! Umaru-chan, Yuru Yuri, How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift?)
ORIGINS: Crime novel and live action TV series
CREATOR: Ira Ishida (4TEEN, Akihabara@Deep, Hapi Navi)
DIRECTOR: Tomoaki Koshida (Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru, Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san)
CHARACTER DESIGNER: Junichirou Taniguchi (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun, Your Name, Puella Magi Madoka Magica). He’s also the chief animator director for IWGP.
SERIES COMPOSTION:Fumihiko Shimo (Air, Amagi Brilliant Park, Clannad, Higurashi Kai)
MUSIC COMPOSER: Ryuichi Takada (Soul Calibur, Tekken, Katamari Damacy)

By Yuki The Snowman Posted on November 30, 2020