Sakura-ShinRa

Inspired by the news footage of the Japanese volcano and by my own quake experiences in Christchurch, NZ.

To the tune of Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

Lava is a scary thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Could be your funeral pyre
If you live on the ring of fire

**Disclaimer**
Before you read this, PLEASE read the WHOLE post before deciding that I have somehow offended you.   I may not be saying what you think I am saying, so take a minute, read the whole post and then THINK about what I've said before you comment.

This has been on my mind for a long time.
I am a HUGE fan of Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler), I belong to fan groups on Facebook and here on Deviantart, and I follow the manga and own all the anime.  I even have some wall scrolls and keychains, pretty normal stuff for a fan.  But I've found that on the edges of every fan group, there is a "lunatic fringe" (that's my term for it btw) who are into some truly weird stuff. 

And then there's the ones who have to take it just that little bit further, and RUIN IT for any other fan that comes into contact with them, not to mention scaring off potential fans.  For example, I came across some guy's gallery today, full of drawings and commissions of Sebastian (from Kuroshitsuji), only with a HUGE, stomach, like someone pregnant with octuplets!!  I don't know what they call that particular fetish and I don't care, what I want to know is this.  WHO THE HELL GETS OFF ON THAT STUFF AND WHY AREN'T THEY IN THERAPY??

I used to be a big fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic too.  Then, one day, I stumbled across a Tumblr page documenting the rather infamous relationship between a guy called "Jin" and Twilight Sparkle.  He was in love with Twilight Sparkle, had a plushie of her that he went out on dates with, and even leapt to her defense against other "cloppers" right here on D.A. (Cloppers are fans who find the MLP ponies sexually attractive).  Jin eventually got engaged, and then married to Twilight Sparkle via Skype chat with a fellow fan who is also an ordained Unitarian celebrant.

At first I was all like "WTF??? THAT'S SICK!!"  I saw clopper fanart and MLP porn and was disgusted by it, and sad too because I found that I couldn't watch the show and enjoy it anymore with those images burned into my brain.  So I decided that if I couldn't watch the show, then I at least wanted to understand WHY these people felt this way.  If I have to give up a show I love because of a minority on the lunatic fringe, then I damn well want to know why!!  So I joined forums and met some of these fans, and I found that so, so many of them were awesome, amazing and genuine people.  Ordinary people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, all of who said pretty much the same thing.  "I don't know why I feel this way, I just know that I do."

And that's where I start to feel angry, not at these people who don't know why they feel the way they do, but at US, at society for allowing a whole chunk of the world's population to become so isolated, so alienated and so dysfunctional that they can't feel love for, or from, their fellow human beings.  And why should they?  For them, and for so many people struggling with mental or behavioural problems, other humans don't provide love and comfort and community.  The only thing they've had from other humans is pain, humiliation and rejection.  At school, at home, at work.  They're the awkward and shy guy who spends every spare minute reading comic books, or that girl in the library who's always browsing anime sites at lunch break, or your own child who locks herself in her room, blasting music and drawing comic book art because her parents don't understand her and they don't try to.

It's not the cloppers fault that I can't watch MLP anymore, it's OUR fault, all of us, for not paying more attention to the people around us, and taking the time to ask them "are you o.k?  Do you want someone to talk to?"  Ask yourself, is that geeky guy you ignore on the bus each day going home to an apartment full of MLP merchandise because no one has even taken the time to try and get to know him?  And could you be the one person standing between that guy and the sucide note he intends to write for his confused and heartbroken parents, before he hangs himself in his room, and all those people who knew him, but didn't really know him at all ask themselves "Why?"

Awesome Deviant is having a really cool competition!  You have about a week left to enter cos I'm a useless slack cow XD.  So hurry up and enter FOOLS!

hinatafox790.deviantart.com/jo…

Hinata says I don't have to do a poll, it's optional, but I'm going to do it anyway so Neener neener XD

Hello everypony!

I just want to take a minute to talk about commissions.  Since I opened up commissions, I've had a wonderful response and have finished three commissions so far, with two more awaiting completion.  I want to thank and for their patronage and prompt payment LOL.

If you're wanting a commission but are not sure how much you can pay, don't worry about it.  I'm working on a "What you can afford" basis at the moment, because I know not everyone can afford to pay a lot and I want to get my name out there more than anything at the moment and don't mind going a bit short to do that.  I trust that you guys will be honest with me about what you can afford, and I'll do my best to deliver a peice that you're happy with.  It's a trust based system, basically. 

If you're STILL not sure what you can pay, I suggest using the points calculator below.  Take the amount you think you can afford in US dollars and convert it into points.  It's a really useful tool, and please donate to it's creator if you can!

charfade.deviantart.com/art/De…

I just wanted to write a short, general update.  I haven't submitted much of anything lately because I've been busy working on a new comic strip idea.  I've been drawing up character descriptions and all of that.  I meant to do some more Cosplay Cafe's and some more Kuro fanart in general and I will be doing that, I'm just not sure when I'll be getting around to it just at the moment. 

My new years resolutions are to go to the gym every week day and to lose at least 20 kgs by the end of the year.  And also to publish my new comic strip this year, and hopefully have an episode a fortnight coming out in a month or so.  I also hope to start a podcast this year.

So that's me, what's happening with everyone else?