iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 20/08/2026

The spellchecker fails to recognize 'viridian' and suggests 'NVIDIA' instead.

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 05/07/2026

Hi! I haven't made a status update on #HERO for a while, though I continue to work on it at the usual pace. Here's a grid of images that present most (~80%) of the secondary character sprites. I'm transitioning to main characters now #gamedev #vndev #screenshotsaturday

large grid of thumbnails of illustrated character sprites

1154

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 21/04/2026

"If you and I exchange equal goods, that is trade: neither of us profits and neither of us loses. But if we exchange unequal goods [...] you will observe, instead, a steady profit accruing to one group and an equally steady loss accumulating for all others. Why is this?" -Robert Anton Wilson

“Privilege implies exclusion from privilege, just as advantage implies disadvantage," Celine went on. "In the same mathematically reciprocal way, profit implies loss. If you and I exchange equal goods, that is trade: neither of us profits and neither of us loses. But if we exchange unequal goods, one of us profits and the other loses. Mathematically. Certainly. Now, such mathematically unequal exchanges will always occur because some traders will be shrewder than others. But in total freedom—in anarchy—such unequal exchanges will be sporadic and irregular. A phenomenon of unpredictable periodicity, mathematically speaking. Now look about you, professor—raise your nose from your great books and survey the actual world as it is—and you will not observe such unpredictable functions. You will observe, instead, a mathematically smooth function, a steady profit accruing to one group and an equally steady loss accumulating for all others. Why is this, professor? Because the system is not free or random, any mathematician would tell you a priori. Well, then, where is the determining function, the factor that controls the other variables? You have named it yourself, or Mr. Adler has: the Great Tradition. Privilege, I prefer to call it. When A meets B in the marketplace, they do not bargain as equals. A bargains from a position of privilege; hence, he always profits and B always loses. There is no more Free Market here than there is on the other side of the Iron Curtain. The privileges, or Private Laws—the rules of the game, as promulgated by the Politburo and the General Congress of the Communist Party on that side and by the U.S. government and the Federal Reserve Board on this side—are slightly different; that's all. And it is this that is threatened by anarchists, and by the repressed anarchist in each of us," he concluded, strongly emphasizing the last clause, staring at Drake, not at the professor.”

020

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 19/04/2026

Here we are, the next couple #HERO characters decked out with outfits #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, a woman wearing semi casual shirt and pants

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, a man wearing combat clothes

082

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 26/02/2026

So it's clear, I'm just showing one example of each character, out of a full sheet of poses and outfits

thumbnails of fifteen character sprites, pose and outfit variations

000

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 26/02/2026

It took a bit, but a couple more #HERO characters have been outfitted with clothing #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, a man wearing a dark suit

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, a woman wearing a long skirt and sweater

172

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 03/01/2026

A couple more #HERO characters have their outfits added #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, a woman wearing an athletic tracksuit

032

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 28/12/2025

New Blog Post: Status Report #HERO: Week of 12.28 sasugastudios.com/blog/status/... #gamedev #vndev

Three character illustrations from the waist up against a grid background

032

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 20/12/2025

I've got a couple more #HERO characters with their outfits drawn #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, man wearing casual kannushi uniform

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, woman wearing formal kimono

053

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 04/12/2025

Several more #HERO character sprites are now dressed #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, a woman in a formal dress

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, a man in a formal suit

042

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 25/10/2025

A few more #HERO character outfits are all drawn up #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, woman in a dark pencil skirt and suit jacket

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, woman in a long skirt and sleeveless sweater

064

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 11/10/2025

I got the next set of character outfits for #HERO finished #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, young lady in an overall dress

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, young lady in a off shoulder shirt and skirt

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, young lady in a frilled blouse and skirt

1114

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 28/09/2025

Here's a couple more character outfits for #HERO done #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, older man in military officer uniform

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, woman in a dress with a cardigan on top

0113

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 26/09/2025

counterpoint: Dekopompo "An obese little man who lives his life surrounded by opulence and beautiful women, Dekopompo is an arrogant man with bad taste." utawarerumono.fandom.com/wiki/Dekopompo

000

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 14/09/2025

also useful is this excerpt from MLK Jr.'s "Letter From a Birmingham Jail"

I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

011

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 14/09/2025

the 14 features of ur-fascism as noted by Umberto Eco, useful to keep in mind

The cult of tradition. “One has only to look at the syllabus of every fascist movement to find the major traditionalist thinkers. The Nazi gnosis was nourished by traditionalist, syncretistic, occult elements.”
The rejection of modernism. “The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity. In this sense Ur-Fascism can be defined as irrationalism.”
The cult of action for action’s sake. “Action being beautiful in itself, it must be taken before, or without, any previous reflection. Thinking is a form of emasculation.”
Disagreement is treason. “The critical spirit makes distinctions, and to distinguish is a sign of modernism. In modern culture the scientific community praises disagreement as a way to improve knowledge.”
Fear of difference. “The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Thus Ur-Fascism is racist by definition.”
Appeal to social frustration. “One of the most typical features of the historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class, a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups.”
The obsession with a plot. “Thus at the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged.”
The enemy is both strong and weak. “By a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak.”
Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy. “For Ur-Fascism there is no struggle for life but, rather, life is lived for struggle.”
Contempt for the weak. “Elitism is a typical aspect of any reactionary ideology.”
Everybody is educated to become a hero. “In Ur-Fascist ideology, heroism is the norm. This cult of heroism is strictly linked with the cult of death.”
Machismo and weaponry. “Machismo implies both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, fro…

111

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 05/09/2025

Two more character outfits for #HERO served up hot #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, a man in shirt, vest, and tie beneath a lab coat

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, a man in a striped shirt

093

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 24/08/2025

A couple more outfits for #HERO characters drawn #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, woman in a shirt and dress with an apron on top

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, woman in a shirt and pants with a lab coat on top

192

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 09/08/2025

Next couple outfits for #HERO characters are done #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, woman in a dark suit jacket and miniskirt

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, woman in a dark waistcoat and pants with a red striped shirt

0104

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 02/08/2025

I've got the first couple outfits for minor #HERO characters drawn #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, middle aged man in a dark suit

2D vector illustration of a character sprite, older man in an argyle sweater vest and slacks

062

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 27/07/2025

All #HERO character sprites have their bodies and hair drawn (took nine months). Now it's time to clothe them. #gamedev #vndev

thumbnail images of 2D character illustrations, vector art, showing bust of head to upper chest, no facial features

073

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 25/07/2025

#HERO production status: hair added for 48/48 characters. All the hair is drawn! On to the next phase! #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of a human character head, no facial features

0104

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 17/07/2025

#HERO production status: hair added for 44/48 characters. Only four more to go! #gamedev #vndev

082

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 12/07/2025

not many shows have a paralyzed 80-year-old guy as the main character

000

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 09/07/2025

I once came face to face within a few feet of a wild boar when living in the jungle on the eastern side of Maui And by jungle, I mean JUNGLE

000

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 04/07/2025

#HERO production status: hair added for 40/48 characters. Here's one third of the main characters #gamedev #vndev

093

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 25/06/2025

I am the Snorlax. I speak for the zees.

official illustration of snorlax snoozing

000

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 22/06/2025

New Blog Post: Status Report HERO: Week of 06.22 sasugastudios.com/blog/status/... #HERO #gamedev #vndev

2D vector illustration of character from waist up

0163

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 15/06/2025

Remember Owari no Seraph? Remember how Shinoa was THE girl for a brief moment? owarino-seraph.jp/chara/shinoa...

020

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 14/06/2025

#HERO production status: hair added for 36/48 characters. That's all the secondary characters done, the main characters remain #gamedev #vndev

illustration of a human character head, no facial features

052

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 03/06/2025

I've got the three volumes of Hitohira that Aurora Publishing managed to release

010

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 24/05/2025

#HERO production status: hair added for 30/48 characters #gamedev #vndev

062

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 16/05/2025

I don't think my art is all that great, but it is 100% mine, errors and all. I'll never touch AI because the process of creating is as important if not more important than the end result.

3D rendering of the front entrance gate of a large, traditional Japanese style home, shown at nighttime

120

Nick @sasugastudios.com · 16/05/2025

Something that AI proponents don't get is that creating is as much about working on yourself as it is about what you're making. I've been working on my visual novel #HERO since 2011, and in that time I went from someone who had never written or drawn before to being able to do both those things now.