~ Kaz's Little Blog Thingie ~

Besides taking a while to find time to work on changing my username in places I still used old ones (often can't get online or else feel too tired to work on it), had some heavy stuff happen last month. My dad, who besides being one of my biggest supporters of my love of cosplay and my passion for gaming, has been struggling for some time from losing a leg a few years ago. He loves going out for walks & traveling, and using a prosthetic leg was hard on him. In June he got some weird infection on his remaining foot, but instead of going to see a doctor immediately to deal with it, he unwisely stayed at home and the infection got worse until finally my mother couldn't handle his stubbornness any further & called an ambulance to get help. He was doing okay for a while in the hospital after they treated him & performed surgery to remove his big toe (where the infection started), and was fine aside from sounding goofy on the phone from meds making him act high (better than being in pain). But early on the morning of July 6th, only an hour after being checked on by a nurse and seeming fine, my dad passed away suddenly. The hospital did their best to try to revive him, yet sadly they were too late. T_T Going to miss him terribly and already do, because he was my first best friend and we'd had many adventures together... even if just walking to the convenience store to get a soda as an excuse to have time to talk to each other about anything on our minds. He was the reason I got more into cosplay when my interest started waning, thanks to his encouragement & letting me borrow his own cosplay (FF9 Black Mage, inspired by the ones you fought in the game) for a local cosplay meetup, which led to me making a lot of dear friends and becoming better connected to the community. As me and my family deal with debts and other issues resulting from our loss, I'm moving forward holding close the happy memories of my dad and hoping that I can possibly obtain the same amount of zeal that he'd had for life, indulging in creativity, and having fun...

Anyway, feels pretty good changing it. Fits me like a comfy shoe (and believe me, when you find a shoe that's comfortable, it is pure bliss). And it's interesting timing that I did this now, with a new chapter of my life starting (will explain about that in the post after this one) - so it's like both a symbol of moving forward using a title that makes me feel more confident & happy with my online persona being finalized, as well as something that brought me a bit of badly needed joy with all I've been through recently in my personal life. <3

Wow... haven’t posted in here since end of last year. Yikes. O.O Mostly been too busy on Discord and elsewhere to take time out to work on anything here, but doesn’t mean I haven’t given up on eventually doing something here. I feel bad being away so long and missing all the lovely art posted by the artists I follow. Much love to all of them. <3 <3 <3 Been thinking of rebranding this Tumblr, because after all these years I’ve finally found a name for myself & need to make my usernames match. My cosplayer handle soon will be “Celestial Sword Cosplay”, and already have the name “Celestial Sword Kaz” on my YT account & Discord. Kaz is the nickname that I’ve come to be known by in the Dofus Touch community because of my OC Kazrielle that I use in the game, and her name means a lot to me since it’s based off of my own full name. It’s just a matter of when I can find the time to work on fixing that stuff up here and elsewhere. Until I get around to doing that, a plus tard mes amis... <3

So, according to a recent twitter post direct from Tot himself, listen up all of my fellow Twelvians... .....WAKFU SEASON 4 MIGHT BE COMING NEXT YEAR!!! <3 Just hope they’ve been putting some epic work into it and don’t rush it like S3. I’ve never been more excited for a new season of a series... ever. Here’s to the fondest hope that it will rock hard enough to make Wakfu be as popular as it was meant to be (especially if they package the entire series and shorts into a DVD set later, because I am seriously going to bust my ass to get it). Here’s the link to the original post for those wanting to see it - https://twitter.com/Totankama/status/1533726616471347201

Sorry that I took such a long hiatus... a short while after my last post here, some heavy emotional stuff happened involving 2 dear friends of mine (and fellow Dofus Touch players; one suffered a big mental breakdown, whereas the other disappeared after telling me they’d had an inoperable tumor). Hit me a lot harder than I thought it would, and dealing with other crap going on in my life was made harsher from worrying over my friends. Sadly, my friend who’d had a breakdown eventually decided to disconnect from everyone he knew, and I often wonder each day if he’s doing okay. As for the other friend, he thankfully reconnected with me after months of my not knowing if he was even alive, and it was a blessing to have him to talk to again because of other crap that hit the fan around when he contacted me (tldr - seriously messed up family drama). Despite the emotional rollercoaster ride of ups and downs for me, I’m deeply grateful to the friends who’ve been there for me through it all... especially my Dofus family, who’ve helped me cope every day through enjoying the game we love (as well as helping me cope with crazy drama in the game as well; some people in the community are fond of acting very immature and it sucks). And it’s amazing just how much of a family we’ve become... our bonds being made even stronger when I became leader of our alliance, and it’s been both a great and trying experience that I cherish. Here’s to the hope that greater things happen for our little community in this year, and I dream of the day that maybe I can even meet some of these wonderful friends who’ve become such a precious part of my life and I in theirs... even if but through an MMORPG. And worth mentioning - the bond I share with my sister. She’s always trying to bless me and brighten the world a bit more, with the hardships I’ve faced since the Covid mess began. For Christmas 2021, she surprised me with a wonderful gift that I’d been wanting for some time... and in turn supported an amazing artist that I follow on here... Thanks to her, I got one of the Wakfu fan art books made by @manueillustrations and I’m so thrilled to own it! Was quite a treat to peek inside the cover and find a small sketch of Tristepin, as well. Certainly a lovely way to finish such a chaotic year for me... <3

I’d consider this to have been a lucky year for the series, considering the symbolism tied to the number 12 in all things krosmic, and indeed... with the thrill of it’s 4th season being beyond fully funded via one epic kickstarter, it has. Looking back on this amazing series, both its awesome and awkward bits, I’m blessed to be a part of it’s fandom & damn proud to be a fan. (almost slightly more than a fan of One Piece; but that’s different.. been around longer) May have come into this fandom rather late, and it’s my own fault since I tend to obsess over the things I love in long periods of intensity, but having known of it & been fond of it for a long time before finally diving in... just wish I hadn’t procrastinated so much like the iopish dork that I am. LOL. That aside, I’m filled with excitement as much as anxious curiousity of what lies ahead for the Wakfu grand finale. Hoping it won’t be disappointing (btw, I don’t regard the 3rd season as being that as other people have; had awkward scenes & eps, but I greatly enjoyed it - probably since I’m a Dofus fan and could see the connections between the two eras being slipped in there... even if subtle), and no matter what am looking forward to finding out what sort of adventure and fates our heroes will receive. Will it be a happy ending for everyone? Judging from how last season was deeply themed around “the greatest battle of all is against yourself”, there’s no telling what’ll come next season. AND I’M SO MAJORLY PSYCHED! This series (and Dofus, too; both the games & anime) has brought me great happiness, gained me wonderful friends, and inspired me in ways that so tiny few things in this world have done before... and I’m forever glad it exists. All of it’s crazy quirks, fabulous messy worldlore, and everything else that’s strange and intriguing about it. Happy birthday indeed, Wakfu... <3 (Image included was a poster that Ankama displayed at Japan Expo; created by the epicly talented artist @cathianemelian​ - go give her page some love!)

So we’ll see what happens, but I am trying to remain optimistic that maybe in the next month or so, time and energy willing, I can try to get my butt out of this artistic slump that I’ve suffered for several years & start drawing again. I know that I’ve mentioned this a few times, but crap always tends to happen that interferes with me giving a decent attempt at it. From all the amazing art that I’ve seen people posting here on Tumblr and in the discord group I’m a member of, I’m desperately wanting to draw things from Dofus and Wakfu. Even if it’s going back to my origins as an artist and like, drawing some of my favorite weaponry from the games & the anime... at least that’d be a decent start worth trying.