This post here will be a little too personal, I think… But still – I felt like I really needed to write it.
The art below is really old, but I am proud of it to this day.
I rarely post something like this… I, in fact, NEVER posted something like this. I really wanted to show my gratitude towards this character on his birthday, but since I haven't finished my art for him (AGAIN), I'll express my thoughts and feelings through my words.
Fubuki Sumiye was my favourite of the favourites since day one – literally. Simply from the first sight. Loved him when he was a kid, was really excited when he was announced as one of the main cast of season 3… but of course, at that time he was still far from this throne – I just liked him for the way he was.
At the end of 2018 I dealt with a really rough time. While I tried to pass all exams at the end of my very first semester in Art Academy (and it drained all the energy from me), my best friend, who was everything for me, suddenly betrayed me. Trough the years, they taught me a lot, they brought me to so many cool places and helped me with a lot of things. I couldn't understand why – we were in the middle of the project, we wanted to buy paired skins for the game, we even shared one art account… I tried to reach out, tried to ask and clear things out, but every next response was harsher than previous. They also tried to get me out of all the communities I was in and to prevent me from entering those I wanted to be in by spreading rumours about me and shitting on me all the time, and even wrote to one of the projects I was in that my skill is "too trashy" for it… yeah, apparently my skill was the main reason. Was it because I could enter the Academy, but they didn't? I don't know, maybe.
But at the when time I was absolutely devastated I… suddenly was slapped in the face with the very same story. Some people would become even more traumatised after this… but for me, it was the start of healing. Even though my ex-friend stabbed me too deep to fully recover, I finally had someone to relate with, someone who was hurt like me, someone who made dumb decisions about this so-called friendship – again, just like me. Watching Fubuki falling apart and hitting the bottom, but then being able to start everything from zero, to calm down his pride and finally let new people in, to become even better and kinder, even after all this pain and all that injustice showed towards him. He was a beacon of hope for me. Perhaps the only one beacon of hope.
I rewatched his arc multiple times – more than I could even count.
At some things I related a lot: him always being "not enough" and needing to work way harder just to keep up; his tendency to keep it all inside; his adherence to his principles, even if his team won't agree with him. In other things, I looked up to him: his unbreakable will, his ability to so intense hardworking, his bravery, and again – his principles, which he never betrayed, even if it could put him in trouble.
But then… honestly, the series has done him dirty. After his arc ended, he was kind of moved on the background. And even despite we had clear evidence that he and Aiger are kind of equal with their skills and strength, Fubuki never won on a big screen ever again. And then… there was no sign of him after season 4. Even though he was like "Shu's favourite." Even though he was kind of stronger than Rangiro, guess who was returned in the future seasons and who didn't… It seems at that time, the audience was too young to understand this character, so his bey didn't pay off – even with that unique design of his launcher (they clearly had big plans for him…)
Just like that, my beacon of hope was, once again, thrown away and forgotten by his very creators.
So I kept this light inside me. Wherever I went, whatever I was about – it always kept me on my feet. I still don't know if I would be able to recover from that trouble (and everything that came after) without him.
Eventually, people started forgetting. And when this art here gained no engagement, even trough like 4 re-posts everywhere, I… honestly, I gave up. But only on the "mission" of "not letting people forget" – not on him. Still beloved by me, he slowly but surely became my main inspiration. To this day, almost every my story has a little part of him. A little light that he left me. My main characters still have many same characteristics – and I know that this is not only because I adore this archetype… but because I adore one certain character.
Seeing now many of the old fans, who are coming back to this series from their childhood, and finally acknowledging this really complex and well-written character makes me happier than you can possibly imagine!
I… honestly, I cried a little several times while writing this. Somewhere, in another universe, he's surely doing okay – he graduated as the best student, found new friends, found love and eventually, he became marine biologist because of his high intelligence and passion (or at least that is what my personal AU is about tee hee). I know I will meet him again. In your works. In my dreams. And maybe even in some people I will meet in the future.
Happy birthday, Fubuki Sumie. Thank you. I couldn't ask for a better muse. I wouldn't make it here without you.
I know what you're made of.
You are the unbreakable hard.
(If you made it till the end – wow, thank you and congratulations. Also… I'm sorry for the minor mistakes – English isn't my first language ^^")