Everything Everywhere All at Once was my absolute favorite movie of the year. So of course Pat and the gang decided to go with that as their theme for Halloween.

Big thank you to AikaAnarchy for this commission. Unfortunately, they couldn’t finish it in time for Halloween (that’s what I get for waiting until the very last minute to pick an artist), but they were able to finish the line art in time. The version with color and shading will be out a bit later, but the line art alone is pretty incredible, with all its intricate detail. Definitely plan on commissioning them again; maybe something a little less complex next time.

Also, this will probably be the last time I commission ALL my characters for Halloween. As much as I've enjoyed the tradition, it's not cheap, and it's not going to get any cheaper if I decide to introduce even more characters in the future. Don't worry, I'll still get Halloween comms, just with only one or two characters at a time.

(Warning: the following text contains minor spoilers to the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once)

Nihilism
noun
the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless.

Honestly, with the way life is, it’s not hard to fall into that way of thinking. I mean, as a kid, you dream of being an astronaut or a rockstar or whatever, only to end up working a 9 to 5 that you hate for the rest of your life, just to pay for rent that you can barely afford, for an apartment that’s way too small, with a financial vampire of a landlord that looks down on you just because you exist. And if that’s not your daily dose of depression, then you can easily turn to the news to hear about the thirteen stabbings and seven homicides that happened five miles from your house, or how everything is getting more and more expensive despite your wages staying the same, or how global warming is still destroying our planet and politicians are more concerned about lining their pockets than actually doing anything that could save it.

Hell, I’m only touching the tip of the iceberg, but my point still stands: Shit’s fucked. So why bother? I’ve had my share of lows. I understand what it’s like to think, with absolute certainty, that life is only going to get worse. So, why not throw any sense of feeling away and go the way of Jobu Tupaki?

Well, the truth is, I can’t give you a definitive answer, but I know there is an answer: A life-long friend, family member that’s always been there for you, the possibility of a promotion, your favorite TV show or video game, or even something as simple as a song on the radio. It’s not enough to outweigh all the tragedy in the world, but it’s enough for you. Enough to feel alive and loved. Enough to forget the idea of not caring about anything at all.

For me, it’s the friends I’ve made throughout my life. Whether I met them in high school, or in college, or through sharing my writing on this site, they’ve always been kind and supportive to me and I’m thankful to have them in my life. So yeah, we all may be dressed up in the amazing outfits of Jobu Tupaki, but deep down we know we’re Waymond, because as he said, “the only thing I do know is that we have to be kind.”