Respect (AND HABIT NUMBER FIVE!) is Freaking Important in Friendship, Tobby!

I just came out of a very valuable class which happened after getting a butt-biter removed from my butt. The sting of the butt-biter’s bite is now vanishing from my nerves too, but it’s freaking burned into my memories. By the way, I thank the person who handed the butt-biter to my face. I really needed the butt-biter removal and that very valuable class regarding the importance of respect and HABIT NUMBER FIVE in friendship, you know.

Yesterday, I forgot something.

I forgot two very important things.

Those things are called…

…”respect for others.” And “HABIT NUMBER FIVE.”

It sounds really stupid if you know that I’m a nut who loves friendship. But seriously, I did forget those things yesterday.

And now, look at the picture. See that big scar on my avatar? That was caused by the butt-biter (that drooling ball with big teeth) that I called through my lack of respect for others. Today, it got handed to me by the person who I disrespected, and freaking nuts, the butt-biter and the scar that it made looks uglier than my drawing of it.

The bite really stung, alright…agh…

But still, I’m thankful for the lesson time that I had because of that. It reminded me that I’m not perfect. It reminded me that respect is freaking important in friendship. It reminded me that no one’s perfect. It reminded me that I can’t control any person except myself. It reminded me of the importance of HABIT NUMBER FIVE.

Ah, I have a feeling that my imperfection will act up again and call in more butt-biters, but still, look at the bright side and do your best, you crazy bear.

Oh, and regarding the specifics of how I disrespected a certain person…It involved me using that person’s tweet in a certain blog post without her permission. My original intention for the use of that tweet was “showing the dangers of reactivity,” but I ended up mixing it up with “making everyone agree with me at any cost” and forgetting about understanding her motive for tweeting that tweet. My selfishness also called the butt-biter in, alright. Also, this morning, I told her about my use of her tweet in that post (which I took down already), since I felt like it was rude to not directly inform her about my use of her tweet in my post. And I definitely didn’t think things through during that time, alright, since I didn’t realize that I was already being rude because I didn’t ask her for permission to use that tweet in my blog post and I freaking used that tweet to persuade people into agreeing with my point when she actually didn’t intend to persuade people through that tweet.

Yeah, I feel like I let selfishness take me over during that time, and man, I can feel the sting of the butt-biter’s bite again…agh…freaking sticks…

Anyway, I already sent my apology to that person, and she isn’t as angry as she was when she responded to my message where I told her about my use of her tweet in my blog post. And I’m also very thankful for her calling me out on my idiocy and for her reminding me about the importance of respect in friendship. I really needed them, alright. Also, I need to remember the importance of HABIT NUMBER FREAKING FIVE: SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD.

I need to remember to ask permission before using stuff made by others in whatever stuff that I want to do, too. And I need to remember HABIT NUMBER FIVE.

And I need to follow a proper daily routine, too. Also, all that lack of sleep…it’s been messing my brain up lately.

Now then, time for a self-reminder:

Respect is freaking important in friendship, Tobby! AND REMEMBER HABIT NUMBER FIVE, YOU CRAZY BEAR!

Tobby’s Recommendation Yell: The Sandman

It’s been months since I recommended a game by Uri-san. Huh, I better remember to not spoil people when I recommend stories. Anyway…today’s recommendation is the second installment in Uri-san’s Strange Men Series:

The Sandman.

It’s a freeware horror-style adventure game made in the WOLF RPG Editor, and it’s the sequel to The Crooked Man. The Sandman isn’t as scary as The Crooked Man, but still, it can be shocking at times.

Now, the game is about a girl named Sophie Grundler, a girl who has been spending a bunch of days with difficulty in sleeping, bullies messing around with her at school, and a father who has been spending less time with her because of his work. As she struggles to endure the chaos, time suddenly stops during midnight…and that’s not the only strange thing that happens…

I’ve cleared the game recently, and freaking nuts, it’s freaking beautiful. Thank you very much for being an inspiration again, Uri-san! I highly recommend this game, especially to people who are having trouble with getting enough sleep.

This game is originally Japanese, but vgperson has made an English translation, too! Here’s a link to the English-trasnlated version of The Sandman: http://vgperson.com/games/sandman.htm

If you decide to play this game (or maybe watch someone else play it; Daveosity, ManlyBadassHero…and I have made Let’s Plays of this game, you know…and by the way, if you want to make an LP video series of this game, please remember that monetized videos of Uri-san’s games, from this game onward, are forbidden. Oh, and did you know that there are also people who have made Let’s Plays of The Crooked Man, too?), then I hope that you have fun! And don’t forget to keep calm while playing it, too! Keeping calm while playing the game can help you in learning the very valuable lessons inside the game, you know!

Freaking Nuts, Tobby Received The Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

bluchickenninja awarded me the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Freaking nuts. Thank you very much for the award, bluchickenninja! Also, keep on doing your best and having fun with what you do, Tobby! Be an inspiration, and help other people in becoming inspirations, too! YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Now then, time for the rules of this award:

1. Thank and make a link to the person(s) who nominated/awarded you.
2. List the rules and display the award.
3. Share seven facts about yourself.
4. Nominate 15 other blogs and comment on their posts to let them know that they have been nominated.
5. Optional: Display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you.

And now, more facts about me:

1. Ever since childhood, forming headcanons in my mind is something that I do a lot. I’ve been doing it even before I knew what the word “headcanon” meant (And I knew about the meaning of that word just last year.), but I didn’t turn them into writing or illustrations or some sort of artwork up until last year.
2. I became interested in reading and writing fanfiction last year, too. I became interested in doing that after reading a documented essay about writing fanfiction, and freaking nuts, I’ve got so many headcanons about Dangan Ronpa and the Kagerou Project that I want to develop!
3. During my elementary years, I was a pessimistic crybaby. Seriously, I was a very pessimistic crybaby back then. I feel like the classmates that I’ve been with during my elementary years would be so surprised when they see what sort of person I am now.
4. I find Studio SHAFT’s animation style fascinating. I haven’t watched a lot of their animations (I’ve watched Mekakucity Actors–which I won’t stop following–and I’ve watched little bits of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Bakemonogatari, Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, and Hidamari Sketch), but still, I find their animation very eye-catching. From wide rooms and elaborate designs to frequent head-tilts and hilarious drawings, I find Studio SHAFT’s style very very fun. It’s like the animation style is telling me: “Dude, break out of your shell and look at the world around you. It’s full of interesting things that can turn into beautiful things.” As of now, the Studio SHAFT animations that I would like to watch (aside from Mekakucity Actors) are Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Hidamari Sketch.
5. Hating people is a habit that I do not want to exist in my list of habits. I don’t like hating people, because no one deserves hatred. Sure, people are imperfect, and I’m imperfect too, but we all have potential for goodness, even if it seems impossible. If you were to ask me, if we want the world to become a better place, then we need to focus on developing that potential without hating the existence of other people.
6. I’ve already decided some time ago that I would dedicate my life to helping in making the world a happier place. I feel like many people these days would call me insane with this mindset that I have, but still, I won’t give up on it. We all want happiness, even if we think we don’t. I want to lead people to true happiness, you know. ^_^
7. I want to meet a girl who is like the Kagerou Project‘s Ayano Tateyama.

And now, it’s time for the 15 nominees:

1. descent Subs
2. knits by Sachi
3. Roman Castilleja
4. Timothy Pike
5. Melanie Jean Juneau
6. Luis R. Valadez
7. Samuel Mpamugo
8. Jaideep Nema
9. Jacob Kolasch
10. The Poetic Build
11. Delicious Peace of Mind
12. Really Short Stories by Mads
13. The Catholic Husband
14. Renewed Hope
15. Paul Militaru

Once again, thanks very much for the award, bluchickenninja! And to the nominees, keep on doing your best and having fun with blogging!

Mekakucity Actors Episode 5 Reflection: Apathy Won’t Help Your Life, Shintaro Kisaragi

It’s time for a reflection on another episode of Mekakucity Actors, the anime of the Kagerou Project!

Remember: “Kagerou Project” is the name of the whole series! Mekakucity Actors is the title of the anime (and it’s also the name of the album that Jin-sensei released before Mekakucity Days), Kagerou Daze is the title of the light novel and the manga (and it’s also the title of Jin-sensei’s breakout hit!).

Mekakucity Actors Episode 4 Reflection: Keep Calm and Understand Hiyori, Hibiya Amamiya

Hello hello, this is The Overlord Bear, and it’s time for reflection again!

A Sealed Fate

I could hear his footsteps. I could see his…Ugh, he’s here!

I turned around to run in the other direction again, but as the sound of something rustling and hitting the ground behind me softly entered my ears…

“Hi there, Miss Loopy!”

There he was…There he was again…Slaughterface…That ruthless time traveler…The bane of my existence…Right in front of me again…With a gun…With that disturbingly light voice…and that ridiculous smiley mask of his…

“Why are you trying to ruin my life again and again, Slaughterface?” I asked him as I prepared to take a gun from the hyperspace pocket from the back of my skirt.

“Well, I thought you’d never ask, Miss Loopy! I would’ve killed you if you didn’t do that!”

“Huh…?”

Why…What is going on in that broken brain of his…?

“Explain, Slaughterface,” I told him with a glare and a gun pointed at him.

“Remember the time when you asked me about why I’m chasing you and why I’m killing your family and friends?”

Oh yes…I asked him about that once during a past time loop.

“Yes, I do remember. You said that you wanted to teach me a lesson by ruining my life.” Ugh, remembering that pisses me off. “Why didn’t you explain it more back then?”

“Because I thought that ending the sentence with a bang was cool!”

I let a palm meet my face upon hearing that answer. He is insane. Why did I not think of that?

“Explain already, or I’ll blow your brains out.”

“Alright, alright! Geez, give me a break, will you? Besides, it’s not like I’ll stop just because I got a bullet in my brain…I’m freaking durable, you kn–” *BANG* “Hey!”

“Explain. Now.”

“Fine…I wanted to teach you a lesson by ruining my life because…” And then he spins in place (He never stops trying to be ridiculously flashy, huh?) “…There are people watching us, Miss Loopy!”

He seems to be pointing behind me.

There was no one behind me, though.

“What are you talking about?” I asked as I turned to face the insane time traveler again. “I don’t see anyone behind me. Speaking of which, why am I even trying to reason with an insane person?”

“Hey, I may be insane, but I’ve still got some sanity left in me, even if it’s a teeny-tiny bit. It makes me more interesting, you know! Anyway, cool down, Miss Loopy. Here, have a crystal ball!”

Suddenly, he took out a small crystal ball from his jacket and threw it towards me. In the midst of my chaotic mind, the decision to catch was immediately chosen without a second thought.

“What is this supposed to…be…?”

When my eyes gazed upon the clear crystal ball in my hands…things suddenly made sense.

“We’re…We’re being watched by so many people. So many people from different universes…and we’re all just…made-up characters in a made-up universe…?”

I found it hard to believe, but it was so easy to believe at the same time. I could feel it. I could feel the teary gazes of the readers who saw my life being ruined by Slaughterface. I could feel the happy voices of the readers who watched me make new friends, inspire people, change into a different person…

And I could feel the readers’ surprise as surprise rose from within me.

“Do you see it now, Miss Loopy? Their eyes are on us. Some of them are letting us inspire them, letting us move them into better directions. And then there are some who are letting us control them, letting us into making them forget about their own free will. Do you understand what I’m talking about now, Miss Loopy?”

“…Yes.” I found it hard to speak. I was in a whirlwind of emotions. I felt happy that I was able to inspire someone, while I also felt sad that there were people who forgot that they had free will. I felt fear, hope, curiosity, so many emotions…

Suddenly, I remembered that Slaughterface and I were just inventions of some person’s mind, that we were made to influence people. We were influences, yes, but what sort of influences we will be…It doesn’t just depend on our author, but also on our readers as well.

And then I noticed that my gun was on the ground. The script said that I am supposed to die. The script said that I will struggle to stay in the same repeating days over and over. The script said that I need to remind the viewers that change is constant, that things can go right, that things can go wrong, that–*BANG*

“Better not let a sane person hold that thing for very long, Miss Loopy. I can handle having it because I’m already insane, you know! Now, let’s not think about what we just saw in that crystal ball, since we have a job to do and also because the crystal ball had done its job already. Besides, with that crystal ball broken into bits, we’ll all gradually forget what we saw beyond the fourth wall.”

I’m not real. Only my creator can control my fate. What I did, what I’m doing, what I’ll be doing…No matter how many people beg for me to live, my creator has made it’s decision:

*BANG*

Before my hands could even reach the gun, I felt a bullet go through my abdomen and a hand grab the back of my dress. Is Slaughterface going to kill me brutally?

“You know, the boss changed his mind. He’s thought of a better way to deliver the lesson he wants to deliver to our dear readers.”

What sort of torture will I experience now, then? I want to go back to the old days…

“I’ll leave you to live the life that you wanted to live! But first, we need to go to a hospital and get you patched up!”

“Really…?”

Seriously…?

“Yeah, really! I said that it’s the boss who said it, but you don’t need to believe me if you don’t want to believe me! Let’s go, then!”

“…”

I did not even speak. I was speechless again. I am going back to live the life that I wanted to live? A life without dead loved ones? A life without an insane time traveler chasing me? A life that absolutely follows my will?

Suddenly, from beyond the fourth wall that was gradually being fixed…I felt reactions…fear, hope, disappointment, curiosity…and a smiling author who said:

“Change is constant. Things can bring you down. Things can lift you up. Where you want to go, however, is your choice.”

I felt like that’s what he said…but maybe it was just my imagination. What am I even thinking about, anyway? Being exposed to this insane man probably did a number on my sanity.

Oh well, at least I will be able to live the life that I wanted to live again! Nothing can go wrong!

Right…?