OmegaMorph

After hearing of the passing of Akira Toriyama who created the Dragon Ball series amongst other media, I feel I needed to comment. I have to say that initially in my childhood, I knew nothing of Dragon Ball. The most experience I had was an NES game, Dragon Power, which was localized in a way that seemed divorced from the source material. Essentially Goku on the cover was replaced with a pretty generic looking “Karate Kid” looking character. It wasn’t until late elementary school for me that Dragon Ball Z in particular got syndicate in the west.

I did see some old Dragon Ball chapters licensed in comic form and game magazines did sometimes show off media we weren’t getting on the Super Nintendo, but around middle school the franchise kinda started to explode in the west. A lot of long-time schoolmates of mine were getting into Dragon Ball, some even getting a head start on the franchise via the internet. I had mild interest at first, but then like with other anime it became sort of a regular after-school experience for me. I got progressively more interested seeing some common synergy the series had with other stuff I was into, like say the Sonic series for example.

I do admit there was some monotony with any ways the anime diverged from the original manga, but I started to take an interest as more Dragon Ball video games came to the state, not to mention more manga from Shonen Jump Magazine were starting to be localized. I started to make an effort to look at the tie-in movies, particularly there was a big renewal around Dragon Ball Super where I saw fans dressed up like Goku in theaters anticipating something that wasn’t as big as other films showing, but was a big deal for them. I feel the fandom in particular keeps me interested in the franchise because of how much passion they had in it. Not just through fan-media that pops up, but also through sitting around after class getting into the media with friends I knew, both in real life and on the web. I can definitely say that I’m still a fan to this day.

Hearing that Toriyama had passed on was definitely a bit of a shock to me and I’ll admit a bit personal. Not only had he contributed to the creation of Dragon Ball, but also a unique art direction with other media I grew up with such as the old SNES game, Chrono Trigger. I definitely feel that even without Toriyama’s direct input, there will definitely be a lasting legacy. I feel this franchise has popular tropes that I still see in Shonen Jump franchises and a whole lot of other media I like. Whatever happens from here on, I feel that influence won’t be lost.

Hey there everyone. This isn't bad news or anything. Its just something I kind of need to help clarify to everyone here. I've noticed over time that I've accumulated a bit of a fanbase and a even a few collaborators with projects over time, mainly Ultimate Sonic Fighter and related stuff. I've been doing this since college along with other projects. While Ultimate Sonic Fighter is very much a passion project, a lot need to realize that like a lot of fan stuff, its just a hobby.

The truth is I do in fact have a personal life. I have been working in retail for over 15 years now with a job that can leave me pretty fatigued physically. Because of my work schedule I try to get a little progress at a time while still conserving some energy for day to day stuff. I have to pace myself and have some priorities on how much I can focus on at a time.

Yet over time I've gotten some followers, both longtime and recent. A lot of them take a liking to my stuff with Ultimate Sonic Fighter (or USF for short) in particular. Some even look to collaborations I did much further back based on "Vs Capcom" games. With those Capcom related projects in particular I was not doing projects I was starting, but projects someone else had started. They were fun for a while, but essentially I was getting out some creative quotes for characters I knew (and some I was new to) that were laid out on character rosters laid out by someone else.

Yet in this there was a problem. These were started by other people who essentially asked me to write everything out for them, which was fine for a while. Except, they tended to be "unsatisfied artists" at times. Some changed their roster midway while I was working on stuff or even added more characters to what I was already working on. It was becoming clear not only did I not have final say on the projects, but was essentially doing all the work for someone else. I retired from these projects because I essentially wanted to be my own boss, setting my own guidelines and work schedule.

Ever since then, I started Ultimate Sonic Fighter as a bit of a passion project showing my live for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Not just the main games, but most media. I was inpsired by early Dragon Ball games from the 2000s and their format. Not only that but the idea that they weren't limited by one continuity. Not only did they use the original series, the DBZ series, and eventually Super; but they also used stuff that was non-canon like the movies or GT. This gave a bigger chance for dream matches you usually don't see. I was just wondering, why can't other series be like that having multiple continues clash more often in non-canon games for funsies?

The answer is of course legal issues, executive meddling, and multiple rights holders; something the Sonic series tend to get really bogged down by. I have seen other fans do their take on a multiple continuity Sonic project on the internet; but a lot get some burnout and end up losing steam just when things are getting good. So I decided, if I want something done right, do it myself.

It of course got bigger as it went along. Let's face it. The Sonic franchise is huge and only has more content growing as it went along. I mean I started back when Ian Flynn's run of the Archie comic was at the mid-way point a little ways before we heard catastrophic words like "Genesis Wave" or anything related to Ken Penders at the time. Even with cancelizations that leave us hurting, the franchise keeps growing. Not only that, but I added my own characters and opened the door to guest characters from other franchises. That last part is where things got complicated.

Now if you can't tell by now I love seeing characters from other franchises interact from one another, but whenever I see a Sonic crossover on the net its usually with the main game series. I grew up role playing in chat rooms with my original characters with stuff that drew not only from the major Sonic franchises, but also occasionally had fun with non-Sonic ones. Of course when you take off the limits to include other franchises, you of course got an infinite amount of content in addition to existing stuff from Sonic. That is...yeah...where I had to limit myself a bit more on.

Now over time, I got a bit of a fanbase. Not only did I get people who liked my stuff, but also liked the Sonic franchise. There were a few that knew only the main games, but others that know just about as much of the overall franchise history as I do. They were inspired by me and wanted to take a crack at the USF format. Over time, I had some I worked closely with. Some such as RyutheWeredragon, SmashProX, and some others that I've sadly lost touch with over time. I gave some pointers on ideas regarding what moves characters could have and what the Sonic cast could say against characters they had in mind. Yet here we have another problem. That old story of "When You Give a Mouse a Cookie" in regards to the "mouse" in question always wanting more cookies or whatever.

Something that often left me clashing with others is my own high standards on USF's exact format not to mention that I kind of wanted anyone doing their own movement to do whatever character they were doing justice. After all these were characters from stuff I really love most the time. The Sonic franchise, other Sega games, Nintendo games, Capcom titles, various comic books, and others. The list just kept growing. That said, some users had mroe talent than others, sometimes asking...and at times even demanding, my creative input.

I admit there were times when I got frustrated when a user comes out of nowhere doing their own moveset without asking or even to check on what has and hasn't been done regarding USF. Some left movesets half-finished expecting me to do all the work and I've even had a few other users with a clear limited grasp of the English language. It was clear I needed to limit stuff a bit. There were of course some users I've come to trust, but I have had a few eager to get into things without knowing what they were getting into with me or the format.

Then there's those little additional quotes I leave in the comments for movesets. These were fun at first, but then I began probably the biggest and most ambitious part of USF. The Super Story Mode. Essentially something kind of like "Dissidia: Final Fantasy" or "Jojo: Eyes of Heaven" where characters from the different Sonic continuities come together on this big epic story mode with a long on-going plot to this. I of course had Side Stories and Guest Stories just so my own OCs or guest characters wouldn't overshadow the main Sonic cast. This of course, required a lot more work for myself since I was handling not one, but three long term stories in addition to the occasional moveset or side scenario.

But back to leaving quotes with movesets done by other users. A lot of users over time had come to expect this as a given. Let's face it. Some people just aren't as talented with writing or have an encyclopedia-worth knowledge of Sonic characters, let alone any other franchise I've worked with. Though keep in mind, I don't instantly know anything and everything. I have to sometimes search online with fan-wikis or look at YouTube footage of stuff sometimes. In other words, I have to do research which in itself can be an effort. I felt this was someone that just about anyone can do, but let's face it, some have more experience with creative writing than others. Unfortunately, this came where pretty much every user who did their own moveset expected...or even demanded...for me to help with their stuff or do quotes from other characters in the USF project. When this happens, it essentially became the situation I mentioned with those old "Capcom Vs" projects I mentioned all over again. I was being tasked to put an effort to do someone else's homework for them.

Now a few things about me. I'm a bit taken aback that I've inspired others on here and even seen as a role model or mentor for some. But let's face it. I'm just a human being. I'm a huge fan of Sonic and other various media, but I do have a life to get to. When I sit down to work on USF, I can just do a little bit of a time. I have to do a real job to support myself. I have to get out and exercise. I have to see to basic needs for living. I have to interact with family and friends. I want to enjoy new media every now and then. Not only that, I need to think of the future regarding having to manage myself or even progressing in life. I'm 38 at the time of this writing and do have occasional bits where I fatigue and need to rest myself. I'm fine if you admire and respect me, but keep in mind...this is all just a hobby in the end. Its a priority I have passion in, but its not my number one priority.

So in the end, I'm fine is you're inspired by me to do similar stuff to USF; but...you gotta do your own thing and not rely on me so much. I can't always be around to help support people for something that's not even a job. I make no money out of this. It is a hobby in the end. It shouldn't be taken too seriously. If you don't have the confidence to stretch your imagination or the talent to be type out something comprehensive, that's fine, but you shouldn't go begging for someone else to do the work for you to what in the end just equates to entertainment. If you want to go to the internet just to look at something cool you didn't do; there's other options. Fanfiction.net, youtube.com, tvtropes.org, this very website on deviantart.com, etc. There's nothing limiting you. You just have to know where to look.

So, I'll conclude with this. Thank you for all your support. I will of course still continue my USF related projects on my own terms. I just want to let you know that you have have to rely on yourself to get the job done if you want to find your own inspiration. Some of you are much younger than me and new to this, but you're working with a human being who needs to go and do his own thing. You'll of course still be hearing from me as a continue to work on this project that I've devoted myself so long to. I just wanted to share this for long-time watchers and anyone new that comes along.

-Morph

Back from my vacation. I honestly don’t do journals that often, mainly because I hate the new format DA as them in these days. I am of course going to get back on to doing my usual projects, but something I wanted to get out of the way first. I’ve occasionally had peeps send me messages on wanting to get in on campaigns for bringing back the Archie-verse of Sonic or anything along those lines. Some of those folks come off like conspiracy nuts, guys who do nothing productive outside of venting on Penders/Flynn, sharing weird artwork, trashing the IDW comics for existing, etc. Well here’s my opinion on that. Being a weird prick doesn’t change anything.

What changes stuff is a SLOW process. I know you don’t believe that, but trying to force change by acting as some ill-manned toxic fanboy acting outside of social norms doesn’t change crap. Sure there’s stuff like “Rally 4 Sally” that gets attention, but only cause peeps show how much they love the stuff rather than how much they hate something. What I encourage is to continue to show you love older Sonic media and not JUST the pre-gen Archie continuity. I mean not all extended Sonic media is perfect and there are plenty of people who try to find the positives. I know some people don’t got money or time to waste on something if they think its mediocre, but well…I get you want something that’s actually good, but it also shows you’re more fair weathered about supporting the series as a whole.

I don’t get into comics are better than games or games are better than the comics. I did grow up extensively on the comics for sure, but I really want to support the series as a whole. That said, peeps don’t put a series out just so you can look at scans online or watch youtube playthroughs. It’s good to get a good review before you try something, but it’s also a good idea to show your support to what you do like or at least want to give a chance. There are a lot of positives that could lean to stuff from other continuities coming back, but not stuff to get too much hopes on. Let’s focus on the positives. Takashi Iizuka’s moving his office stateside which could leads to better communication with the western fanbase, Ian Flynn’s working more closely with Sega thus giving more quality and potentially characters from his end, the upcoming Sonic Prime’s animators have some connections going on with animators who own the rights to some of DIC’s stuff.

Now I hate to tell you this. The Archieverse ain’t gonna get any kind of direct revival. K-Pen and a whole lot of peeps involved went separate ways and hold the rights. That said, try to focus on what you CAN get like the classic Freedom Fighters and anything associated with the old DIC properties. Note that if any characters/elements come back, they’re probably not gonna be the same way you remember. New voices. New designs. New backstory. There’s probably still gonna be some annoying executive meddling as usual. All saying, sometimes something changed up can still be good if it has the passion towards the original involved. I think Ducktales 2017 is a good example of that particularly. Start with the old toon stuff, then work your way over to supporting any other continuities you used to like. Like maybe STC or Sonic X. Heck maybe even Boom with anything you liked out of that one. If you feel passionate about a particular character or element, speak up, but don’t be an ass about it. In the meantime, if you got free time to share support or love via fan media like I do, then go for it. I can imagine someone will try to put some salty counterargument here, but if you're doing that then you're kinda missing the point.

The flaming abyss calls to me. My body is drawn towards it whenever I try to home an attack on an objection. I retrace a familiar path. Any vehicular transport I have could lead to certain doom just as moving on my own. I am no longer certain of my own actions. I no longer have any confidence in the skills I honed in previous ventures. My senses betray me.

Along the way, I met the prophet with no mouth. Every time I try to restore my progress from when I last left on my journey, he compels me to stay and listen to his story. I could just press on in spite of it, but even that is not allowed...or maybe something keeps me from trying.

Death is at every corner in this ruined city. I take the same path once more, but this time I feel it is in a new body. The world around seems to bend to my will in this state. I feel powerful, but know from previous experience that being hasty is a misstep. I usually favor speed, but moving more complacently in this silver garb feels almost refreshing.

Another companion is with me. I knew of her from another place while traveling abroad. Like many others she has changed. I expected her to behave much as I did when I first began this journey. Her actions seem foreign yet I adjust as best I can. At the end is a beast and I vent all my frustration upon it. Not for sustenance, but for retribution.

Finally, I return to civilization as I left it previously, yet feel I may have more ground yet to cover.

I feel like its been forever since I last recorded this. As usual, I am somehow compelled to do meaningless tasks set upon me by the locals the more I travel into this nightmare. My former comrade in red, I thought he was as I remember and yet his movements have been hindered just as mine are.

Without my portable devices to sustain me, the wait times prove more ungodly. It is these times and only these times I am able to see a map of my surroundings. I followed the railways yet found nothing but death, whether by my own hand or preordained by the trainyard itself. I died again and again, yet always returned, never gaining progress. I was forced to double back to an alternative route.

Back to the snowy wastes I traveled by vehicle. They take me forward yet are not often reliable. I feel renewed taking this alternative however. More in control of this chaos. I met an old companion. While her tracking skills remain familiar to me her fighting skills have dulled with age. I no longer see the trained warrior I once yet her appearance...is a sight for sore eyes.

An old foe I had met previously, a self-made hound of hell, proved easier this time. Continuing onward, I move through the forest. While lost for just a moment, I took a conscious decision not to be distracted by the locals. I ended up retracing my old route upon crossing the lake...yet at the end...was the devil himself.