Hey, y'all! I apologize in advance that this might seem like a long journal.
It's been a while since the last entry, and we're once again in March. March of 2020, huh? Wow, to think I've seen many Marches come and go. But we'll save that for a particular day when we get there. The reason I'm making a new journal right now is to address this intent I've had for some time now. In fact, it's something I've briefly brought up in my most recent poll.
I'm planning on remaking or rewriting a bunch of my fan-characters. If you're one of what I assume is a certain few who've scoured the depths of my gallery to see my ancient content, or if you've been around when that stuff released, you might recognize some of these characters. If not, I don't blame you. The plan features a mix of fan creations, both familiar and unfamiliar to those who actively watch me today.
Actually, let's address the elephant in the room right away.
Yes, Sunto is one of those characters.For those who don't know, I created Sunto for a long,
long time. It's been maybe eight or so years since I first pictured myself in the world of Dragon Ball I was slowly and surely reengaging myself with in high school. I eventually joined deviantART in early December of 2012, giving my first creation form in the idea of "Stephen Hatchilock," who I, with a bit of shame, admit was a half-Saiyan self-insert. I'm using those words because the teenage me wasn't the best he could be, creatively and in terms of maturity. I'm never afraid to point out the latter, seeing how far I attempted to depart from my immaturity, as I was contradicting how I act in real life. And sure, we all have our faults, yet I can't justify everything about myself. But I digress.
I feel there was more "Stephen" could do than just putting my image into the canon of a long-running piece of childhood nostalgia, but the teenage me couldn't have figured that out until he saw Dragon Ball GT. I never had a problem with it, and even vaguely remember long ago a piece of the episode on TV where Baby emerges in Myuu's laboratory, confronting the trio for the first time. And no, this wasn't Nickolodeon's rerun, even though I lowkey thought that was kind of cool to happen. But through that first binge came sympathetic respect for Pan, commonly hated because of her character's portrayal. While it seems most opinions softened before and after Dragon Ball Super, I'm sure some of you guys can relate to this, which I totally understand.
Still, I felt obliged to make a character that complimented the better side of her. You know, help bring out the good that I felt hid behind Toei's attempt to make her the "Bulma" of the GT gang. Why they tried is beyond me outside of marketing off of nostalgia for the original Dragon Ball. But from that sympathy came Sunto, who eventually got that name after I worked with Tepheris for a short co-written fanfic, Dragon Ball Afterlife. That, to me, was a step in the right direction. I had a long way to go, however.
Anyway, I'm addressing all this because I understand there's a decent amount of people who remember him or enjoy his presence.
That's why I made the poll, but I'm still encouraging you who are familiar with him to vote if you haven't, as I'm considering it active for a while longer.
Until then, here's what is going to change: Sunto is no longer half-Saiyan for my primary portrayal of the character. Anything I've drawn or written involving that is still up and will remain that way. But consider his history as a half-Saiyan specific to stuff I do on the side, or stories that include him and would like to keep it that way. One such story I can see him remaining as that is Dragon Ball X, by Vortex (
VorticalFiveStudios) and Crisis (
Koozan), which I will still make the Redux Edition eventually. For others, it's all up to you guys. Well, that's if you want to use him, but that's beside the point.
Now that I've become a more polished writer for stories or characters, I see this departure as a way to acknowledge Sunto was always about his personality. You know, the qualities on the inside rather than the outside. It makes me realize Saiyan genes aren't so necessary for that. Ironic, seeing how I've often spoken to
MalikStudios, some of the Inebriated Gang's members before that became a thing between us, and how it now dawns on me. Mind you, I've always had a side portrayal of a "
Human Sunto," but I simply would like that at my forefront.
I nevertheless want to thank those who I've spoken to about Sunto's character, as those conversations still mean something to me. Before writing this journal, I talked to some friends on a couple of servers. I also consulted Sophie B., who is a good friend of
Masako-kun. I'm sure you all recognize the latter's name for his Goku voice and dedication to devising what-if scenarios for Dragon Ball, with one most famously focused on Raditz. During 2019, aside from voice acting, Sophie's been making stuff for her own
YouTube channel, also tackling a what-if scenario and doing podcasts. I usually hear her, Masako, and Todd Haverok on Masako's Thursday streams, where we can donate to have them read our what-if questions. I felt she had the right kind of insight I needed to discuss one change I wasn't sure about, and I think that gut feeling proved right in the end.
So don't worry! Sunto still has the potential to become a great fighter, and there will be plenty of details preserved. But yeah, it's 2020, and I think stepping away from the half-Saiyan focus not only allows him to feel fresher than before but helps me move on from some of that unneeded history. Some small bits and pieces will return, however.
Now for some other characters!
Hakosu got mentioned in the title, but don't worry, the only change I'm considering is his name. This choice could seem very sudden and minor for some since he too has been around a better part of my being here.
However, and I'm being perfectly honest here, Hakosu was a rushed name, having chosen that because it seemed cool to go with Google Translate's literal Japanese translation. Then I start thinking it gets a bit cheesy the more I say it to myself. I mean, hey, I originated his design from experimenting in Xenoverse, hairstyle included (although I made a couple of visible changes when drawing it), so I had to come up with something. I still acknowledge him outside of that, as well as his presence in my good friend,
RyokoZchan's fanfic, Inebriated.
Though I recently gave him the last name, Nest to make the pun seem more apparent, that feeling hasn't entirely vanished with his first name. Sophie suggested changing part of that pronunciation, however, so I think his new full name will be
Hakusu Tsu. Tsu is a proper Japanese word for "nest," so the full pun is still there while sounding like a tongue-twister in that language. Plus, the new name is very Toriyama, thinking about a Dr. Slump character named Tsukutsun Tsun (who I believe is like the predecessor to Yamcha). But I'm adding in an extra character quirk to fit this new name where he might get a bit annoyed if someone gets his name wrong in the slightest since it would add to the humor.
The last character on my mind is one for my would-be Dragon Ball fan story. Titled initially as
Dragon Ball: Elemental Warriors, it will now have the working name,
Dragon Ball: Fighting Future. This character,
Moyun, was intended to be its first villain. He still might be, but his new name is
Neru, and he will be getting a significant redesign. More on that soon, but here's the original deviation.
Alright, I think that's all I need to say! If anyone has thoughts about this process or the changes I've already explained, you're more than welcome to share it. Other than that, I'll eventually have an update talking about how I'm doing. For now, I got some work to do. Until next time!
~Ya boi, Tempest