Currently Playing: Eiyuden Chronicles

Absolutely beautiful game, visually and audibly. Enjoying this immensely.

May 3rd Edit: Beaten

After almost 30 years

I finally beat Golden Axe 2 on Normal. Even my best runs as a kid only got me as far as the fortress after the volcano, usually dying betore or during the boss there. 

Currently Watching: The Hateful Eight

The End of my Steam Deck Era

 

As of this past week, I have sold off my Steam Deck. The brief, three year stint with a handheld other than a Nintendo console coming to an end.

I bought the Steam Deck in early 2023 shortly before I left my first job, craving something with a bit more oomph than the current Switch at the time. Shortly after it arrived, and after I completed my Pokedex in Pokemon Scarlet Version, I simply stopped using my Switch 1. Not because the Deck was infinitely more capable or whatever, but because I am not really capable of focusing on two platforms.

And that was confirmed, not at the Switch 2's launch, but months before it was even revealed.

 

When rumors of the Switch 2 were coming out in full force around September of last year, it rekindled in something in me that had been lost when I got the Steam Deck. The magic I felt around Nintendo releases, the hype of their Directs and the discussions post-reveals. With all the hype going on at the time, I dug out my Switch 1 and bought a new game for the first time in years.

And while I was playing Tears of the Kingdom, that joy snowballed into my buying multiple games I missed in the years after I got the Deck. And while I was using the Switch 1, I found I couldn't even think about wanting to play anything on the Steam Deck.

Fast forward to June 2025. The Switch 2 is out and I've all but completely stopped using the Deck. It eventually found itself tucked away in its protective case. Fast forward even further and I am once again between jobs. The aftermarket price on Steam Decks has gone up dramatically as Valve is finding difficulties in securing the components to produce them.

Selling the Deck, along with a controller and many accessories, I've sent the Deck out of my life and to some place in Georgia, and in doing so I've definitely realized one thing: I am incapable of supporting more than one console at a time. It happened going from Switch 1 into Deck and Deck into Switch 2. 

One thing I am certain of this time, it's just gonna be me and my Switch 2 buddy right up until the next Nintendo console. No more stop gaps. 

Saturday Morning

Starting off this Saturday morning, not with writing and music, but a Godzilla movie, Tomodachi Life and some Chai.

The movie is All Monsters Attack, which is probably the most disliked film in the entire series, but I would be lying if I said I didn't have a soft spot for it. 

The last piece of Sonic media is now in my possession

It's not official by any means, but I'll take a fan made version until Sega can get the licensing worked out. 

Nintenget: Red Dead Redemption

Finally picked this up, the day after selling my Steam Deck. I will dive in to it after Final Fantasy VI. 

Nintenget: Tomodachi Life Living the Dream

 

CrossActs #1

 

 “So, Mr. Wolf, if that is your real name. I need a little of your backstory to ensure you’re not a threat to the Mobius.“
Sitting across from the interrogator. Dressed in only a pair of sneakers and fingerless gloves was a wolf who looked as if he’d been run through the ringer and back again—several times. Heavy bags sagged under his otherwise youthful red eyes. His fur was ragged, matted and even missing in big splotches.
“Of course it’s my real name.” A youthful but exhausted voice replied, hesitation threading itself amongst the syllables. “Actually, on second thought, that’s a good question.”
The sheep conducting the interview cocked an eyebrow as she stopped writing. Leaning back in her cushioned chair  — an odd piece of furniture for a quote on-quote interrogation room. Aren’t they usually kept in cold, minimal spaces? 
“And why is it a good question, wolf?” She asked, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the only piece of furniture that separated the two strangers.
“I’m an orphan in the purest sense of the word,” The male wolf’s ear twitched. The room was chilly, almost too damp despite how well furnished it was. Red curtains across boarded-up windows that blocked out any and all sunlight. Can’t be giving any poor Mobian that finds their way in here shreds of hope, the wolf supposed.
“Care to elaborate?” The sheep was a real cutie. Clearly very strong based on the toned appearance of her biceps and how easily she had tossed him away after he’d fallen on top of her.
“Sure. I was found as a baby near the southern reaches of the Azure Lake Zone. Old couple there found me, took me home, and kind of raised me for a bit, hoping my actual family would come searching for me.”
“What do you mean by ‘kind of raised’ you?” She raised a brow at the grey-brown wolf, dropping the pen once again and leaning forward. The sheep’s plastic emotions were hard to get a read on.
He hoped it was just for the sake of the interrogation because seeing her smile would make his day right now.

Future CrossActs Universe Projects

 

If you thought this multiverse party stopped at daily new chapters and character profiles, you're wrong because I've got even more announcements that will expand the overall CrossActs universe, as well as give readers something new to partake in in this bizarre take on the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

 First up is something I have toyed around with for literal decades. Almost my entire life I'd say. And that is called 'Godzilla Versus'. As a kid, whenever I'd roleplay or use my Trendmasters Godzilla figures, I never limited him to just fighting other Godzilla monsters, oh no. Many a time did Godzilla Vs. ALIEN, Godzilla Vs. Rawhead Rex and even Godzilla Vs. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers become things.

 A few years back, I took these old ideas and attempted to put together a series called, you guessed it, "Godzilla Versus", which was going to be a bunch of one-offs focused on pitting Godzilla against giant-sized versions of numerous other characters with little to no explanation as to why or how.

But now, with the advent of an official GODZILLA X SONIC THE HEDGEHOG comic series and the realized universe of CrossActs, I can effectively pull something off like this now with explanations as to how and why Godzilla is suddenly on Mobius, traveling through phantom portals and fighting 50 meter-tall Xenomorphs... sorta.

 

Following the nearly universe-ending events of CrossActs 1, the planet Mobius finds itself at peace once again, albeit with a few very noticeable differences. The biggest of which being the massive creature that suddenly appeared at the center of Azure Lake Zone! Standing 50 meters in height, the monster looms over this new world with a visible look of confusion across his massive face. Villagers flee and the world is sent into chaos once more. Who or what is this monster and why is he here? It's up to the Diamond Cutters, joined by Athena the Otter her Wisp companion Caspian, to figure it out.

Release Date: Summer 2026

My own rendition of Godzilla will be at the focal point of this series, told from the perspective of Mobians viewing their new larger than life resident as he attempts to make heads and tails of this new world he's found himself in--and keeps finding himself in regardless of how many attempts he makes!

 And the next project, which is going to be something quite a bit more low stakes and homely, is 'Adventures of Laik the Wolf'.

Art by Lazlo

 In 'The Adventures of Laik the Wolf', readers will find themselves back in the small town of Memoria, located in the mountainous Brick Hedge Zone. Laik always wanted to live alone, influenced by the popular video game 'Harvest Moon'. He talked to his caretakers, the village elder and his wife, about building a house of his own, growing crops and catching and cooking fish. An idea that clawed at the wolf pup day in and day out.

Imagine the wolf's surprise when he's presented with the opportunity to make it on his own. Granted with a temporary deed to a small plot of land and the small ramshackle hut within, Laik is tasked with proving his mettle in this Stardew Valley meets Sonic the Hedgehog slice-of-life tale of hardships, the changing of the seasons and what it takes to grow up in a world under constant threat of being turned into a robot.

Release Date: May 2026 

While AoLtW will take place far away from much of the happenings of Mobius, regular cameos from Sonic and his friends will be present, along with Classic era versions of Laik's own ragtag group of friends. Adventures of Laik the Wolf is set in the CrossActs universe, but bares no weight upon the ongoing or canon plotline. 

Instead, this series will serve as a vehicle in which I give my little OC the chance to live the sort of life I personally wanted to live upon discovering the Harvest Moon series way back when. Bugging my parents for vegetable seeds, offering to build a chicken coop myself if they would buy me a chicken. A lot of these ideas were implemented into Secret of Memoria, but there was a much bigger story at play in that project that sidelined the more peaceful slice of life aspects that I also wanted to write. So now, this series specifically is going to give me that opportunity.

On top of that, Classic Laik will experience a lot of my own childhood memories, with this story serving as a vehicle for chronicling the nostalgic aspects, ideas and adventures from my childhood (from like, 1989 to 2000/early 2001).

Also while I'm at it: Sega, if you will... I think I speak for a lot of people when I say this: A cozy farming life sim set in the Sonic the Hedgehog universe with the player avatar as the protagonist would sell gangbusters.

Anyway. Thanks for reading, and happy CrossActs day! 

ReCollection :: CrossActs & Laik the Wolf

 Before I start, I'm gonna preface this with: It's gonna be a long one.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of CrossActs, I'm taking a deep dive into the past, present, and scratching the surface of what the future has in store for Laik and his friends

To kick things off, we're going into the past. No, not the weeks leading up to the birth of CrossActs, nor the two projects that predate it. No, this requires going 30+ years into the past.

To December 1995…

[ THE DISTANT PAST ]

I discovered RPGs pretty early in life, say around 1991/1992. 
It started with A Link to the Past, with my older brother mislabeling the game as an RPG. I loved the freedom it gave me to roam in every direction. Visiting villages, exploring dungeons, fighting gigantic monsters in arenas that didn't limit me to left and right. 
Sure, Zelda wasn't an actual RPG, but it set me up to appreciate something in gaming I hadn't known existed at that point in time.
Eventually, I learned to look for RPG on boxes when visiting rental stores. Characters played across the screen in line, with monsters taking up the left side of the screen. Action-RPG was another subgenre I quickly learned to differentiate after renting a few turn-based RPGs that really opened my eyes.

Fast forward to Christmas 1995. We had just come from (now defunct) mall and the pawn shop there within where I had traded in a few Super Nintendo games I didn't care to play anymore for something new. It was there I had claimed a title that, little did I know, would play a monumental role in my childhood and set the stage for things to come.

The Act of Designing a Godzilla - The Birth of ActGoji

My vision for a Godzilla creature is a mixed bag; one that incorporates various design elements from a couple of specific variations of the character from across his expansive career while still maintaining the core of the design for which serves as his base.

And that design is specifically the 1975 design called MekaGyakushuGoji, which itself was a heavily changed version of the very child-friendly look introduced in1973 in Godzilla Vs. Megalon. In the subsequent films, Godzilla Vs. Mecha-Godzilla and then Terror of Mecha-Godzilla, the suit's head was changed to be less bubbly and cute, with its brows being creased slightly to give him a more menacing, serious-like expression.

For me, growing up and even today, this IS Godzilla. It's the first image that appears in my mind whenever I think of the character. I love it more than any other incarnation of the creature throughout his expansive career. It's fast, powerful, and one of the last times before 2014's Monsterverse began. Godzilla was seen as a hero rather than the antagonist of his films; something that isn't very popular with the fanbase, but alas.

Ever since I was a kid, I'd always toyed around with designing my own look for Godzilla. It's something that, up until recently, I hadn't entertained the thought of very much, but with the coming Sonic X Godzilla comics and my own written series in production, I thought now would be the best time to realize my own Godzilla, right down to the very tip of his tail and how he is perceived in his newfound universe.

Starting off with his most defining feature: His face and head
 Godzilla'75 really struck the perfect chord between a giant, radioactive monster that could demolish a city and that of a hero type. He certainly looks ferocious, but the rounded eyes and pug nose keeps him from dipping too far into the "Oh that guy's could also be evil" territory. I just love this design so much.

But the Godzilla I'm designing here today is going to lean more into a grey area, both in morality and in looks. Still a hero to the people for sure, but I want something that is going to be an obvious toss-up between Godzilla 1975 and Godzilla 1994, so let's get into it:

- First, while retaining the overall shape of this specific Godzilla's head, his snout is going to be extended a bit to give it more definition, with the nose being moved to the end and incorporated into the snout itself, with only the slightest raised impressions from his nostrils. He'll have two sets of large canine fangs, pulling some inspiration from his very next incarnation in 1984.

One last addition I'd like to see added to ActGoji would be the impression of ears. Seen on the 90s design and in his debut and follow-up designs(but never since). I think the definition these little touches add overall are great.

Next, his neck would see some more definition with it being slightly more bent, with scales being relegated to his back like an alligator or crocodile. He will have slightly more defined shoulders as well.

Finally, I want to give him eyes that are far more reptilian in definition. Still maintaining the round overall look set beneath heavy brows, but rather than being big white orbs with brown pupils, I want them looking more alligator-like:

Moving on to his overall body structure. As mentioned earlier, my Godzilla, who shall henceforth be referred to as ActGoji, will feature more defined musculature, with a semblance of shoulders that the design this is heavily based on lacked. For this, I'm looking at the 1989 design, which I've always felt was pretty much perfectly proportioned/defined all around.

Incredibly bulky as the suit was, they nailed the proportions and definitions across the board. Some good shoulder definition, the way he holds his arms, all traits I want to give ActGoji.

My biggest gripe about the Heisei film era was just how slow the suit actors were, and that resulted in less tooth and claw combat across the board, so while I'm cherry-picking traits here and there, the bulk is something I'm definitely avoiding.

The Dorsal Fins:
The 1973-1975 suit sported a single large row of dorsal fins running down Godzilla's back. The designs sported the leaf-like look they were known for, with the tips sporting some white, bony coloring. They were puffy in their deign with rounded points.

I love the look, but with ActGoji, I wanna give him some of that radical 1990s edge, so we're going to borrow from another design that only appeared in a video game:

The player sprite from Godzilla: Monster of Monsters for the NES sports a beautifully wicked line of dorsal fins that is exactly what I want for ActGoji. The largest, most defined fin (what I like to call the crown) begins around the base of his neck, with smaller, less defined variations leading to and away from it.

However, I want to take a little more inspiration from the Heisei era designs and give a second and third, smaller row of spines running down either side of the central set. There have been a few designs that do this,this, but the additional spines are almost the same size as the central set and give his back a really overcrowded look, so I'd like for those on ActGoji to be noticeably smaller when viewed from the side.

 The Tail: 
And probably the last significant change I'd like to make here would be his tail. The 2014 American Godzilla was giving a really unique trait in that his tail tapered off to a fine point that he used like a whip. It was great and something I wish the directors that picked up the reigns after Gareth Edwards stepped out of the picture used more of, so I want to give that to ActGoji over the short tail that ends with a bulbous shape.

The best way to show this off is in toy form, since at no point does the 2014 film give a full body shot of Godzilla.

 I love the idea of Godzilla having a tail long enough that he could essentially drape it across himself like a king's mantle. Seeing as how his spines have been referred to as a king's crown a few times, I thought this symbology really cool considering Godzilla's moniker as "King of the Monsters.

 

And I think that would just about do it. My vision for my own personal Godzilla is heavily based on the 1975 Godzilla, both in looks and how he was portrayed. I like the idea of this giant, mutated lizard being portrayed as and seen as a hero to lesser species, but there is absolutely a balance to be struck where he's that, but also of the mind that he could just as easily turn around and stomp the orphanage he just saved. Not on purpose, mind you, but if a fight ensued with whatever he was protecting the city from, my Godzilla would show no sympathy for the world around him at that moment.

A mash-up of various inspirations from different Godzilla designs, ActGoji is a creature whose design origins are immediately apparent at first glance, but peel back in layers the more he's viewed.

That is my Godzilla, and the creature that exists in the CrossActs universe as of the end of the first saga. 

Origins

The cast of the CrossActs series origins lie within these figurines.