My bedroom is dark. It only has two windows and often faces away from the light, shadowed by the giant tree nearby. Within that darkness, there is safety. My bedroom is my shrine for the things I love, it is my temple to meditate, it is my echo chamber for the memories that keep me up at night. It’s my place in this world that belongs to me, my place to escape. And yet it is devoid of sunshine more often than not. It is only when I step out of that room, outside that comfort zone, that I can experience it. I feel comfort in the dark, but sometimes I want nothing more than to feel the sunshine. This is true to life for me but is also a metaphor for who I am as a person.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been introverted. For someone who has been lauded by others for having a pleasant personality, I’ve made few friends, and even fewer lasting ones. Going to show my age a bit here so please bear with me. As a kid, I shared my interests with my peers in hopes that they would love the stuff I love as well. I used to get in trouble at school for bringing GamePro magazines and reading them during class. I still cringe thinking about the time at summer camp when it was my turn to bring something for the campers to watch, and I was obsessed with basketball at the time so I brought an NBA blooper reel VHS tape (Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers), and about 10 minutes into it I could see them all stop paying attention to it and just playing or talking or doing anything other than watching. We took the tape out about 20 minutes in to it. I’ll never forget the time I tried to get my cousin into anime, when Dragon Ball Z had started airing on Cartoon Network, trying to sell him on the violence for a cartoon but he never bought in. I didn’t have any friends that were into anime until I started meeting people online.
Basically I am someone who is bursting with passion when I find someone who I am interested in interacting with. I used to visit my friends for sleepovers because I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. I’m not an only-kid but with my siblings being considerably older than me, it felt like it at times. I needed to be with my friends or it was a pretty lonely time. So when I do get to hang out with friends, that passion comes out, and sometimes it can be too intense. Not everyone is receptive to it. Especially not people who I show that side of me to, who hasn’t established themself as my friend but more so an acquaintance or something less than that. I get very caught up in wanting others to know how I operate and to understand me. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. Society frowns upon guys like me who show emotion, because it’s seen as a weakness. I will always fight against that notion, because to me it is unhealthy to suppress one’s feelings. I will keep things professional as needed, but otherwise anyone that doesn’t approve of me expressing myself earnestly is not someone I need approval from anyway. It can be endearing or overbearing to others, and either feeling is valid. But my passion is what makes me who I am.
That being said, in my desire to be sunshine to others, I can come off as being too intense, and that sunshine can burn. I’ve definitely made others uncomfortable in my approach, all unintentionally. And in a way I feel like I’m still making the same mistakes I made when I was a kid. Taking the kindness of someone I admire and hoping that translates to a connection that was never truly there. Sometimes I say things that are truly cringe-worthy. There are so many times where I’ll share something on Twitter or Instagram and then remember that my colleagues at The Koalition can see all of that and wonder how uncomfortable I’m making them. It’s a marvel that I still have followers. Between all the ecchi fanart that I retweet, all the VTuber content that I share, all the cryptic tweets that I make from time to time, I’m just immensely appreciative of everyone who still vibe with me. Because for so long all I’ve ever wanted to do was share my experiences with like-minded people, and for so long I’ve seen people give up on me or not give me a chance in the first place. So when I do get that connection, it’s something special to me. I want to bask in that glow and feel that warmth forever. I get that social media is “not real life”, and we should always avoid getting into parasocial relationships. Firmly agreed. But at the end of the day, we’re all human beings behind these avatars, and we all want to feel loved by someone.
I realized in my pursuit of that sunshine, I’ve gotten burnt myself. It comes from my desire to be special. To stand out in a crowd of admirers and be someone important. But don’t misinterpret this desire as theater, because it still comes from the heart. I want to be a source of light for others, but I want to feel that for myself. So I firmly believe in the saying, “stay close to people who feel like sunshine”. Remove toxic people from your daily life as much as you can. Appreciate those who value your time. Be respectful and caring. Because I want to be surrounded by people who do all those things. I love my family dearly but I can’t depend on them forever. I need to know I can make connections with others. I don’t want to be afraid of flying too close to the sun. I don’t want the darkness that comes with solitude to be the only comfort I know. I want to stay close to people who feel like sunshine.
(Note: This was originally posted on a private account back in 2016. I made a few modifications but left it largely intact. It was fascinating to read where my mind was back then as it relates to video games compared to where it is now.)
As I waited outside, one sunny Saturday afternoon in 2014, I saw it. A mass of humanity, adorned in bright colors, faces young and old, all beaming as they entered and exited the glass doors in front of me. Doors that I could not pass through. I could only watch, beneath the enormous roof that hovered above the sidewalk, casting a large shadow over me.
I was outside the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, host venue for Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East, waiting for my friend Richard to join me for a late lunch. There was a hunger building up inside of me, but it wasn’t only for the meal we had at Five Guys later that day. I was a mere three weeks removed from Anime Boston 2014, an experience that left me unsatisfied and wondering if I could ever enjoy such a convention again.
The year prior, I had a great time at AniBos despite going on my own. I thought I could replicate that with 2014 but that was far from the case. Everything that bothered me, that discouraged me from anime conventions, caught up to me. Watching a young crowd walking, running, dancing, prancing, laughing together, made me feel terribly out of place. In my cosplaying days, I was able to fit in. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. But I didn’t have the capacity to. Jokes were being shared, parties planned, photos taken, all without me. It didn’t help that I had been out of the loop from the anime community for so long to that point. It bothered me. All of it. Privately, I was told that I tend to give too much credit to my friends, that I give it too much power. Guilty as charged.
***
My childhood was a happy but rather incomplete one. My parents raised me along with two siblings, but I struggled to relate to them due to our age gap. I had very few friends as a child, and so I’ve always put a premium on friendship. Some of the best times of my life have been spent around my family, and if not them, then my friends. I just think the most fun I can have, I have with those I care about. I value my alone time very much, as I’m introverted by nature, and too much time around others (and what constitutes as “too much” is entirely subjective and varies from day to day) can wear me out. But sometimes I want to look next to me, to my friend, and be like, “Did you see that? Wasn’t that cool?” Perhaps it’s my attempt to defy time. That as long as I can share those moments, I can be young forever.
***
On the walk back to the BCEC after our meal, I contemplated buying a Saturday badge from a scalper located outside the venue. I was ignorant of the schedule, and more importantly, the time. I don’t remember exactly what time it was, but I believe the sun was already setting, and the Expo Hall inside was either closed or almost closing. It would have been a poor investment. Thankfully, Richard talked me out of it. He convinced me that it would be better to wait until next year. So I waited. 2015 came around, and Richard informed me that he would be skipping PAX that year.
Game Over for that idea. Or so I thought.
Fast forward to WrestleMania weekend. I had such a great time, and I was looking forward to PAX even more. There was only the matter of the badge, the ever-elusive key to entering those glass doors. Badges sold out almost immediately when put up for sale in November, and I was left with scouring the third-party market. In the days leading up to PAX, my search intensified, as did my resolve. Finding badges weren’t as hard as finding badges that were reasonably priced. Still, I didn’t mind going through the trouble, paying quite a bit above face value, for the sake of getting my first taste of PAX. I’d never been inside the BCEC, and I didn’t realize how much I even wanted to attend this convention until it drew nearer this year.
I spent much time hemming and hawing over whether or not I was going. I spent a great deal of money for the WrestleMania trip, and Richard advised perhaps I should settle down rather than continue throwing hundreds of dollars toward another event. I took everything under advisement, and I changed my answer numerous times. Still, I couldn’t stop looking over my shoulder, at the imaginary golden ticket to PAX. After a lot of struggle, I was fortunate enough to find a seller on eBay willing to make a deal in-person, and for less than what the market was demanding.
Then I was told the next morning that my friend would not be able to make the trip after all. Just like that, my plans were dashed. I understood why he had to cancel, but it was still disappointing. I’m not throwing down that kind of money to NOT spend it with my friend, I thought. No way. So I contacted the seller and he agreed to cancel our deal. There was a mix of relief and emptiness, if such a thing was possible. I was no longer on the hook for the money, but I also had no PAX to look forward to. I talked to others about it and they advised me to just go and not to rely too much on my friends to have fun. Sound familiar?
After further soul searching, I was fortunate enough to re-establish contact with the seller from before. He hadn’t sold his 3-day badge yet, with only several days to go before PAX. Not only did he sell me his badge, but he offered it at a lower price after I told him I would agree to our previous deal. I even sent an advanced payment through PayPal of less than half the cost, with the remaining money being paid in-person.
It was a definite risk on my part, as it would be easy for a dishonest person to take the money and run. But I had extensive dialogue with this person, and I pride myself in being a good judge of character. When I asked to cancel our previous deal, I offered him $10 for his troubles, something so he could grab a bite to eat at least. He declined it and was completely understanding of my situation, still encouraging me to try PAX some time in the future. Later on when I got back in touch with him and told him I was considering redoing our deal, he volunteered to cut $15 off the original asking price. That was twice that he could have got me for more cash and he didn’t. This was a guy who was a man of his word, who had a friend that couldn’t make it and he just wanted to sell the 3-day badge. It was amazing that he had such trouble finding a buyer, considering how big the market was for those badges. I’m glad we were both able to reverse our fortunes for good. The transaction went smoothly, and there was something powerful about holding that badge in my hand.
***
Sleep didn’t come easy, but I was used to it. Years of experience at anime conventions prepared me for this endurance test I was about to embark. Tens of thousands of people just like me, crammed into one area. Nothing I couldn’t handle. The question was, would I embrace the atmosphere, or become the loneliest person among thousands like at AniBos? Equipped with a positive attitude and an open mind, I left my house out into the sun-kissed morning to catch my bus. Let’s do this.
Time to Press Start.
***
Originally in this space, I had a log of the first day at PAX. But it felt tedious to write, and the memories weren’t quite coming to me, so I’ve removed it. When I write, I want to feel inspired, not obligated; it’s why I’ve never dabbled in journalism. Instead, allow me to dwell on how it felt to be there, the sights and sounds.
My first passion in life was cartoons, which explains my affinity for anime. But my next passion right after that was video games, which dates all the way back to my childhood days in the ‘80s. Whether it was playing on an Atari system, or Number Munchers on Apple II machines at school, or the NES my brother got for his birthday, I loved to play video games. Battling in Contra and Mike Tyson’s Punchout and Street Fighter II and pretty much any game I could get my hands on. Whenever I went to family parties, you could always find me in the room with the video games playing. I loved the energy of a room of four of my peers playing Super Bomberman on the SNES, or Rampage on the NES, or whatever. Weekends were times when I could bug my parents to rent me games from the local video stores. It was an obsession for me, to the point where I was berated by some as being a “Nintendo freak”. It wasn’t until about the time I was in high school that my interest dwindled. Now I own an Xbox One, but I use it more for its entertainment features than for actual gaming. It’s not the same for me. So I went into PAX East with an open mind, knowing that I may not get as much out of it as someone who is an active member of the video gaming community.
Despite my prime days of video gaming being far behind me, I fell in love with the convention unfolding in front of me. It felt like everyone– everyone– was happy to be there; whether or not it was true was besides the point. For all three days, it was a great atmosphere. The crowds, the cosplays, the panels, the long walks along hallways wide and narrow, it felt all so familiar to my days attending anime conventions. The difference was I didn’t get caught up in feeling lonely or too old. I was too busy enjoying myself there. It’s very easy for me to feel out of place at an anime con, especially being so out of the loop, but at PAX there was always something engaging for me. That’s a key difference: I never went to anime conventions to sample new anime, but I was delighted to try new games at this gaming convention. There were loads more people in my age group as well, so that helped.
The entire experience was exhausting but rewarding. It was worth every penny spent and more. I was able to connect with friends old and new. Play video games old and new. Behold an atmosphere of thousands of people that was both familiar and new to me all at once. Clap until my hands hurt at the Omegathon competitions. Hitting the old Reset button by sitting and people-watching between sweet bites of strawberry granola and cool sips of water. It was a weekend long marathon that I almost didn’t experience, if not, ironically, for the friends who encouraged me to carry on without them. I’m so happy I attended PAX East, and I hope to go again at the next opportunity. It didn’t reignite my love of video games, but it still brought me back to times when I was a kid who played them a lot.
***
Thank you to the friends, acquaintances, strangers, all the cool people I encountered who put a smile on my face, notably Elizabeth and Lisa. Great to see you both again! Even the volunteers working there had a great attitude, at least from my experience. As I said earlier, there are a bunch of memories of the weekend that are coming to me in bits and pieces, and that I may not put down in writing right now but hope to share down the line.
The cover image of this post is one I took at the end of the convention before I left for the place I call home. I haven’t bothered looking into the origins of its meaning, but I thought it was fitting. Despite my growing curiosity, I wasn’t sure I belonged in PAX East, especially the effort and cost required to enter. Boy, am I glad I hit Continue.
It feels nice to know this event takes place every year in my backyard. A new place for me with the familiar comforts of my youth.
This past December, I saw a Hololive clip on YouTube of a Holostars concert watchalong hosted by Kureiji Ollie along with Airani Iofifteen and Hakos Baelz. They were overcome with emotion when talking about the show and the Holostars who performed.
It was very heartwarming to see such support. Hearing them cry almost got the same reaction from me, even though I’m not nearly as familiar with Holostars as I am with Hololive. I didn’t really fully relate until last night’s Holofes Link Your Wish Day 1 concert. When the splash screen appeared showing the EN and ID talents about to be featured next, that’s when the emotions almost blindsided me, and when Gawr Gura appeared on stage, that’s when the tears started flowing. I understand now.
Though this is the second Hololive concert I’ve watched (Beyond the Stage being the first), this is the first time I got to watch it live on stream. Back then I was mainly all about Inugami Korone and Nekomata Okayu, but I’ve always followed the EN branch since their 2020 debut. I wasn’t all that curious about Vtubers in general until the five members of Hololive EN Myth made their debut. Since that time I’ve gotten to know more and more of the characters that make up Hololive. That already made Link Your Wish a different experience for me, because now I’m more familiar with the different characters. They’re all so charming in their own ways, and I can see the appeal.
I know that for the five members of Myth who are making their 3D concert debut this weekend (Gawr Gura, Amelia Watson, Ninomae Ina’nis, Mori Calliope, and Takanashi Kiara), this is something they’ve all wanted for a long time. So I couldn’t help but be happy as hell for them knowing that the dream was about to come true. Seeing Gura in her cute little shark avatar singing and dancing on stage in front of a crowd was surreal. Ame was adorable as well, singing a song from “Welcome to the NHK”, an anime that is near and dear to my heart. That got me crying too. And Ina was simply gorgeous with her performance as well. While I don’t follow ID as much, I was wowed by the performance by Moona Hoshinova. She was mesmerizing.
What I’m trying to get at it here is that the experience of seeing the English-speaking members of Hololive get to finally perform on the big stage is something that hit different for me. Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen them since their first days with Hololive, and have been along for the ride ever since. I’ve seen their growth and their struggles. It’s hard not to get emotional when people you’ve invested yourself in gets to realize their dreams, and you get to see the moment first hand. Note that I said “people”, because at the end of the day, these are real life people behind the characters, and these are real dreams being fulfilled for them. I’ll never know any of them personally, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for them.
I’m happy for their fans too. That was another thing I loved about watching the stream live. Getting to interact with other Hololive fans is such a joy for me, especially since it’s not something I get to do IRL. It was also informative, such as fans in the chat pointing out that Houshou Marine’s solo performance was a new song. I wouldn’t have known that otherwise. But generally it was just great being there and experiencing the positive vibes with everyone else. It’s times like these that I wish I was fluent in Japanese and had the means to attend these concerts in person. It’s not over yet though, as there’s still Day 2 of the concert coming up and I can’t wait.
In closing, let me just take this opportunity to thank all the Vtubers who entertain me, and not just Hololive. I’ve gotten to see many other Vtubers, either who are part of different companies or work independently. They’re all chasing a dream of their own, and I encourage you to support them whenever you can. Whether they have a big budget behind them such as with Hololive, or are a small, up-and-coming Vtuber. If you have a favorite (the term “oshi” applies), support them with your wallet as long as you can reasonably afford to. Could be subs, could be getting their merch, heck even if you can’t spend money it’s always nice to spread the word and let others know who your favorites are.
Korone is my oshi, and I originally didn’t know of her until another Hololive fan mentioned her in a discussion I was reading about one of the EN members. Of course, don’t go overboard and fall into a parasocial relationship, it’s not healthy. It can be challenging, especially when some of these talents resonate with you in a lot of ways. I do my best to keep myself in check as well. But ultimately, this is all for fun, and the Link Your Wish concert really captured that for me. I’m proud of all of them.
***Disclosure: I normally write video game related content on The Koalition’s website, but I felt this blog would be a more appropriate platform for my post. My opinions here are my own and do not represent The Koalition. Thank you for your understanding and for reading on. ***
It warms my heart seeing all the people that are enjoying #Shantae games. Might have more to write about it later.
This morning I woke up to find my Twitter feed loaded with tweets celebrating the release of Shantae and the Seven Sirens in Japan. It filled me with joy to see so many Japanese gamers happy to finally get to play the game on their PS4 or Switch consoles. It was also a reminder that my physical copy was on its way from Amazon Japan, which I’m excited for too. I already have the game digitally thanks to WayForward, but I’m more than happy to support them by buying it physically too. That and I really wanted the Shantae acrylic stand which, judging by pictures, appears to be smaller than I had anticipated.
It’s dawned on me that I’ve become emotionally invested in the Shantae brand more than I’ve ever been before. I’ve loved the franchise ever since I first started playing it when I got the Switch. But now I’ve found myself in recent months in something of a deep rabbit hole. Now I’m liking and retweeting stuff that other people share about Shantae. I’m following more Shantae fans and people who’ve worked on it. I’ve played soundtracks to their games on a regular basis on my devices (which I’m currently doing as I type this thanks to Bandcamp).
On many occasions I’ve expressed my support to WayForward, and not just for Shantae but for their other games which I also love. I’ve felt recently compelled to put this down in writing, because I want to take a step back and reflect on how I’ve gotten to this point. This is not a bad thing by any means, but I want to reflect on everything that has brought me to being so invested: in Shantae, in WayForward, in video games in general. I’ve already addressed how I fell back in love with gaming but I want to expand on that as it relates to a particular indie developer group based out of Valencia, California.
I grew up an ’80s kid and video games were among my first passions in life. My first video game controller had one stick and one button. Over time those controllers got more buttons and the games got a little more complex along the way. By the turn of the millennium, the graphics got a lot more advanced, and the controls a lot more involved. Now I’ve gone from one stick and one button, to two sticks and 10+ buttons. At some point video games just didn’t capture my attention enough beyond sports games. Too much to memorize and I wasn’t putting much time into them.
Fast forward to December 21st, 2018. WayForward had a big eShop sale on two Shantae games (Pirate’s Curse and Half-Genie Hero), and there were glowing reviews about it on Reddit. That was enough to convince me to take the plunge. I was a bit worried about throwing down money on an adventure style game considering it had been a long time since I had done so, and I hoped that the mechanics of the game weren’t too involved for me to pick up. It ended up being a refreshing experience, as Pirate’s Curse was a platformer style that I was very familiar with as a kid.
Now I understand that it’s my fault that it took me so long to open up to the possibility of playing these indie games, considering these Shantae games were available on other platforms I already owned. But this was about getting value for my dollar on a new system that I, at the time, had buyer’s remorse over. It changed the game for me, in every sense. I don’t want to dive too much into that right now since I already articulate it in my ode to the Switch as well as my review of Seven Sirens. So I’m going to focus more on how I’ve become a more devoted fan.
PAX East always takes place in my backyard of Boston, Massachusetts. I’ve gone to it multiple times but earlier this year was my first time attending as a member of the press. I went with my longtime friend Richard Bailey Jr., who also happens to be the Editor-in-Chief of The Koalition. We attended media hour on the first day, an hour before opening to the general public. Some media members flocked to the Animal Crossing booth (which had I been familiar with the game prior, I would’ve done as well), others flocked to the Square Enix booth. But Richard will tell you where my mind was, because I couldn’t shut up about it. I most looked forward to going to the WayForward booth, because I was finally going to get to play Shantae and the Seven Sirens for the first time. I was nervous about it, and honestly my first playthrough of the demo was almost a haze to me. It was an out of body experience. Why was I so nervous to play a demo of the game? A large part of that was because I wanted to set in motion something of a relationship with the company. I’ve contributed to The Koalition for several years prior via podcast, but writing reviews was a new venture for me and I wanted WayForward to be my first personal contact. I just wasn’t sure how to go about it without sounding like a drooling fanboy.
It took me until Day 3 of the convention to muster up the courage to start dialogue with one of the WayForward booth representatives. But once I did, I was put at ease and told what steps I needed to take. It was really one of the highlights of my four days at PAX. I was excited. But after the convention was over, I took some time to reset. Then the COVID-19 crisis hit pandemic status and my focus shifted to my safety as well as those around me. I started working remotely from home, and found myself with a little more free time for other activities. Eventually I decided to write my first article based on the games I played at PAX, with a few of them being WayForward games. After that article was well received, I decided I wanted to continue writing about games, and that’s when I reached out to WayForward to discuss reviewing their games. And I think that’s where I’ve grown to appreciate them as more than just the company that brought the Shantae games into my life.
Before long I was playing and reviewing River City Girls, Shantae and the Seven Sirens, Vitamin Connection, Mighty Switch Force! Collection, and more. I’ve enjoyed playing all of them and writing about them as well. There are other games from other developers who I can say the same for, but I’ll admit I’m a little more partisan when it comes to WayForward. Any time their Twitter account retweeted my Koalition reviews it was a big deal for us and for me personally. I’m happy that I can bring attention to our site as well as to WayForward’s games, and honestly I’d like to do that more, not even just for WayForward. I’ve grown to appreciate indie developers a lot more through this process. Don’t get me wrong, I still have room for AAA games. But I see indie devs as underdogs of the industry and there’s just something endearing and pure about their pursuit to present their work to the world. It’s no different than what my goals are for The Koalition, as we are an indie site in our right and I want us to expand to wider audiences, and I hope I’ll play a role in making that dream a reality.
Speaking of which, recently our site was gifted a PlayStation 5 console by Sony for review. That speaks volumes to how far we’ve come and how bright our future outlook is. I was super proud when it was announced. This was something of a theme, as I was finding myself proud of many of my peers in recent days.
From the time I first started writing reviews to now, I found myself gradually increasing the number of Twitter accounts I followed, mainly those who had something to do with WayForward. Fans in the community as well as those who’ve worked with the company. Multiple talent who worked on Seven Sirens tweeted to celebrate the release of the game and share their involvement, and I congratulated each person. For example, James Montagna, Director and Game Designer at WayForward, expressed the surreal joy of owning a physical copy of the game he made, Vitamin Connection, and I’m happy for him. Cristina Vee, who has voiced Shantae as well as other WayForward characters, has shared in her success with her followers with inspirational messages and I’m proud of her for that. There have been those in the fandom who celebrated their own goals, whether it was reaching a certain number of followers, or completing a project, or finishing school, or that cool drawing they just did, or even just the arrival of games and plushes they ordered and waited long months for. I’m happy for all of them and feel the positive energy.
It’s not all without my own gratifications. Every time I got a like or a tweet, it was a nice little dopamine hit for me. It was especially satisfying whenever my work was acknowledged, whether by WayForward or their fans. I always appreciate the feedback. I’ve had some friends joke with me about how I should work for WayForward at this point given all the love I show for them. And I’ll admit, the thought has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. But ultimately, I’m not sure there’s any more I can do for WayForward that I don’t already do with my coverage of their games. I’ve worked in tech support my whole adult life, but given the nature of their work they seem more in need of developers, artists, and voice acting talent. I’ve gotten to know a little bit of some of WayForward’s crew with the limited interactions I’ve had, and they all seem like they would be great to work with. I am openly rooting for their success, and would entertain the idea of moving cross country if the opportunity ever presented itself. But right now I can’t think of anything that they’re missing that I can provide. In the meantime I’m happy to continue to show my support whether it’s investing my hard earned money in their products or spreading the word of their work.
While I can’t think of much else I can do for WayForward, there is plenty they’ve done for me. Their games have helped me get through this pandemic, providing me with countless hours of entertainment as well as material for my articles at The Koalition. Their friendly staff have been very accommodating to me as I transitioned to video game reviewing. The whole process has been encouraging to me as an introverted young man who’s looking to humbly carve my place in the industry. I couldn’t ask for much more from WayForward (except for maybe a follow of my Twitter account, @Telos09!). Ultimately, I just wanted to convey my thanks to all the people that make up the WayForward community and to The Koalition as well for giving me a platform to share my love of video games. Thankful for the music provided by Jake Kaufman, Megan McDuffee, Sakamoto, etc. Thankful to Erin and Matt Bozon for making Shantae happen. Thankful for all the stories and the artwork. You’re all awesome and make it fun to be on Twitter and to continue doing what I do. That comes from the heart.
Thank you WayForward, and congratulations on 30 years. Here’s to many more years to come.
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