HAPPY BIRTHDAY GHOSTLIGHTNING!!!

Today (which is still yesterday for some of you), Ghostlightning turns 33, and it’s a good thing that he’s old enough not to care, seeing as his birthday will never matter again, being so close to his daughter’s. That’s right, Ghostlightning recently gave birth to BusterBeamSlash, so life is going pretty damn well for him right now! I am of the theory that GL is some kind of ultra-human or something. Successful, nice, cool, family man, and a damn good blogger. Almost makes you want to tear out and consume his heart to gain some of his powers!

But to me, what matters most is that Ghostlightning is one of the most important people in my life. Even though he’s almost twice my age (LOLOLOLOLOL) and lives on the opposite side of the planet from me, the magic of technology and fate have caused us to meet, become friends, and effect each-other on an emotional level (not gay.) I’ve been blogging for nearly 3 years now, and the third year has been dominated by GL’s influence on me. When I couldn’t get readers or feedback and had no real direction, GL showed up, told me what’s-what, and re-introduced me to the blogosphere at twice the awesome capacity.

GL didn’t just teach me how to better myself as a blogger, but as a person. He helped me through some tough issues that everyone else just gave me cheap advice on by really getting to know me and helping me figure out what I was trying to do. Every conversation I have with ghostlightning (which without fail end up begin 3 to 5 hours long! You long-winded bastard!) is inspirational, enlightening, and just fun.

I love you, ghostlightning (NOT GAY.) because you are a great friend and a great person, and you’ve equally enlightened me in personal conversation as you have entertained me with your blog. I know that you will be the best father that a child could ask for, because you have done your part to even help me become a man. You’ll raise BusterBeamSlash into a fine young mecha.

(…she’s not a mecha? Well, she will be when Ghost is done with her)

P.S.: Funeral and No Name say happy birthday, too. They always love my legends of you, lol.

Mike (Anime Diet): Happy BDay Blogger Buddy. May this day and BusterBeamSlash fill your big heart with bloggerific joy! You’re one of the most intelligent and prolific writers in our scene and among other things have shown us it’s possible to have a life and do this little thing called anime blogging too. 🙂 Thanks for being an inspiration to us all. I’ll be looking forward to interacting more with you online!

Owen: Sup dawg, I heard you like-

-no, no, this is all wrong. Let’s try this again.

MIKE, I’M REALLY HAPPY FOR YOU AND-

-wait, no, not that either.

So you know this already, but as you’re celebrating your 33rd birthday today (don’t fuck this up, Conrad, just… don’t.) in this wonderful timezone that we’ve all come to know and love, GMT+8, somewhere out there DarkMirage is, too.

Not like this means anything, eh? EH? But hey, it’s been great knowing you. I’m not really exaggerating when I say that life has never been the same ever since I added you on GTalk, and I’m glad I did. Bros for life and all that jazz.

Here’s to you being a great father, an awesome friend, and a true bro. Happy birthday, Mike. Not Pruess, not Propst, not Huang, but Rubio. Michael Rubio, who stands out among the Mikes as his own. Rock on.

Rakuen (Yukifuri Dawn): I need not say that I really look up to you. In fact I’ll be consulting you regarding some manga material that I’d like to get published. That’s right, because you pushed me to reading Bakuman, and I wanted to get back to writing manga again (something I gave up on in the early years of high school). Now I’m pushing myself hard to make something awesome. Happy birthday, and may you become a mecha once you’re a hundred years old. And oh! Congratulations on having BusterBeamSlash. I know she’s a bundle of joy and pooples to you and Alecon. I know you’ll be an awesome GAR otou-san to your moe-moe-kyun musume.

Ghostlightning is easily a very likable guy, very cool, very awesome to have around. We share the same love for Evangelion and soon, Macross. I love you in a non-gay manner, and I’m more-than-willing to draw you some fanart. Again, Happy Birthday, Captain Ghost!

bluemist: Happy Birthday Mike! You are and will always be an inspiration to me in many ways. Your writing is always stuff of legend and your fandom supreme. I don’t share many of your mecha enthusiasms but every time you “remember love” I always (figuratively) listen with all my ears open. I could say that you are a major reason why my blog is still alive and kicking (albeit irregular) and I’m sure many others feel the same way about you being one of the best bloggers in the sphere. I’m also thankful to know you personally, as open as you are in real life and even the internets. Best wishes to you and your family of course. Hope we can meet and do stuff again, but I figure that your baby will definitely take up more of your time. Again, happy birthday! More to come!

Hige (Andrew): Many happy returns, my friend. I too love you (TOTALLY GAY) but perhaps more from afar than others here. We haven’t spoken directly much at all, but your blog is one of the best in our little animu community and I never doubt the quality of your posts, even when the subject is something I’m otherwise not interested in. So, congratulations on reaching 33-years-old, navigating parenthood AND maintaining an excellent blog. I’m sure most of the whipper-snappers here aspire to achieve the same. Hope you have a marvellous day!

Zeroblade (Life in Quadrant 4): SUP BRO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY YO~

Though with our age gap, would it be more appropriate to call you old man? (ufufufu~) But seriously, you’ve been an inspiration to a lot of us here. I certainly would not have had raised my previously nonexistent standards for posts, had I not read yours and many others’ posts earlier last year (I’m looking at you, Owen). As bluemist says, we may not share the same tastes in anime as in mecha (and Bincho-tan! ;_;) but reading the incredible, insightful posts you make always sheds light on points and topics I never thought were worthwhile, and I just love your fresh perspectives on things. But all that aside, you really have my respect – you’re a good friend, a wonderful father and family man, and just one hell of a great guy who I’m sure we all love (partly gay). Congrats once more on little BusterBeamSlash! May she fill your and Alecon’s days with fun, laughter, and moemoekyun singing, and may you have many more birthdays to come!

lolikitsune (better than you):

Good job. You’ve contributed to the overpopulation of our already unsustainable globe. You’ve polluted our already shitfested aniblogoriver with your own stream of toxic nonsense. You’ve… fuck it, you’ve made it so that I am unable to think of you without thinking of some of the happiest moments in my last year. Typical blustery bullshit aside, Mike, I’m happy to have known you for the past year, and am glad that you are still here and kicking (don’t kick too hard, wouldn’t want your geezerly rheumatism to kick in). Thirty-three? Well, you’re accomplished. According to the asshats who penned well-wishes above this, you’ve already given birth—at the tender age of thirty-three, you’re pushing humanity’s boundaries like no one else has before! Go get’em :3

I know the ‘sphere has changed a lot in the last year. We got otou-san leaving, lelangir blinking like he’s on the Ethereal Plane, we got friends coming and going, we got noise to signal ratio increasing fast as ever. I’ve seen it degenerate over five years, and it doesn’t get better. I guess age in life is the same thing (though again, you’ve got that whole ‘giving birth’ thing to keep shit fresh), but if you’re ever lonely for the past, if you ever want to remember the times when everyone was together, just take out some bread. Some honey. A few clovers.

Take a bite.

We’re here with you, now and on January 19th of next year, and the year after that as well. Happy birthday, Mike.

Happy birthday.

His awesomeness actually overloaded the camera's focus

IKnight/Animanachronism/Leuconoe/Thaliarchus &c, &c: Many happy returns!

It’s always fun to talk to you or read one of your posts. And by fun I mean not the dismissive, mild sense of mere ‘good fun’, but a rich vein of the stuff — fun that requires the thumping monosyllable. Fun. Kudos to you too for all the visible and invisible collaboration you do with other blogs and bloggers. I suppose this post is itself a testament to your gregarious brilliance, or possibly to your brilliant gregariousness. Something like that, anyway.

Enough of me. Have a good day, and keep on inspiring!

Animekritik

I am 33.  Been 33 for half a year now.  My hair’s begun to fall off.  What’s left of it is turning gray.  Also, I hear voices telling me to go out and do something about global warming etc.

OK, I’m kidding, but I do remember my grandpa telling my dad when he turned 38 that everything went downhill after 38.  So you have 5 years.

May you continue blogging and family-building (every girl needs a brother) and remember: hurry up before you start forgetting things!  Happy Birthday!!

bianki

Happy birthday, Mike! You’ve inspired me to watch a lot of robotoshit and got me to chase a tiny neon green ball around for fun – you are a great friend and I love you (not gay-like in any way.) Enjoy your day and may you sire more Valkyrie pairottos in the future.

hazy (Undercover)

Dude! Happy birthday~! Thanks for letting us hang out at your place. It’s always a blast! I enjoy listening to your insightful comments on anime, manga, and other stuff. I’m glad to have met you. Now whenever I see anything mecha, I’m reminded of you and your enthusiasm about it. That Blue Ranger thing last Christmas, I was aiming for the Rangers’ robot, but alas, I wasn’t lucky with that gashapon T_T Heh. Anyway, I wish you and your family all the best! Grats to you and Sybilant again for the adorable BusterBeamSlash. I’m sure you’ll make an awesome dad. Happy birthday, Mike, and many more to come!

schneider

Happy birthday! The Quattro to my Kamille, I’ve learned so much stuff from you, be it anime, blogging or a plain hodgepodge of things. Stick around to tell the kids about those dark, dangerous years of Macross fandom (that is, the void before Plus saw the light of day)! It’s been great fun and I hope you continue your shtick in this brave new world where every show has invisible giant robots in them. The best of luck to raising BusterBeamSlash!

KaeBoo

Welcome to the world of being 33! Hanging out with you guys makes the day spent with loads of fun and ideas that could propel the White Horse off its course every time.

Congratulations on being a Dad.  You and Sybilant did great! BusterBeamSlash is a sweet, pretty little bundle given to you as a blessing.  I wish you all the best as you rear your little girl into becoming a lady.

Happy Birthday!  Here’s to you, your family and never ending love that would get you to where you’d want to be.  Cheers!

Mechafetish

Yo! Happy birthday bud! Thanks for the many years of shared awesomeness from anime to sports to work. Words cannot articulate how great it has been. Now you are starting a new lifelong task of raising Alejandra. I’m certain you will do great and the statistical evidence is on my side.

Here’s to many, many more years of friendship and success!

Classic cool. Someone get this man a scotch!

Shin

Happy Birthday, GL. I really wish I had more to say beyond the well wishes, although I’ll say this: You’ve really provided much food for thought for me as a beginner Macross fan, and I hope to be able share that wisdom with future lovers of the franchise. Cheers, and many happy returns!

usagijen

For once in my life I’ll be greeting you from the land of GMT +9! (not that it really matters) Happy 33rd birthday, o Great Ghostlightning! Your energy never ceases to amaze me, and I do hope it continues that way. 33, now with a bundle of BusterBeamSlash (BBS LOL) joy, but with more energy than ever! The Curious Case of Michael Rubio? ok, enough of my bad puns. Yotsuba to Infinity and Beyond!

It seems like yesterday when the first FAB (Filipino Anime Bloggers) people gathered at your house, to celebrate this special day, and the rest was… wow. You unite the FAB, as well as other anibloggers around the globe. You are — The Rubio, sounds like Delubio, but the complete anithesis of it. Char :))

P.S. Feel free to blame me for the time you’ve wasted watching Bincho-tan, should’ve known beforehand that it’s gonna be too cute for your liking 😛

Martin

Happy birthday man. Ehh…I’m really just adding to the list of people who think you’re awesome BUT I genuinely look up to you as not only a great writer but a really genuine and down-to-earth guy. To hell with all that nonsense of shut-in maladjusted otaku with no lives…you’re a devoted family man who still (somehow, I’ve no idea how) finds time to converse with us online riff-raff and add frequent slabs of thoughtfully-written and insightful commentary on cool and interesting things. Many happy returns and once again thanks for helping me remember love.

Oh yeah, no matter what happens you’ll always be older than me and for that I’m also grateful. All the best dude – have a good ‘un!

Jason Miao

You’ve kept things real like the Lakers used to when they didn’t suck. Mmm, BBS thighmeat.

Smankh

Wow, 33 ! I didn’t expect that at first ! Well, GL, the more I read your posts and heard about your life the more you’ve become a kind of a role model to me. I’m happy that twitter let me discover someone as inspirational as you. I mean, now I can’t imagine of a better person to become. The way you live your passion through the (many) years of your life is something really beautiful to watch from afar (GMT +1). And how you manage to ace your family life altogether is even better. It’s possible ! You made it possible.

I really look forward to spend more time with you, be it on twitter or maybe on Gtalk !? But hey, I’ll be busy this year and maybe next year too and I expect you to be there for BusterBeamSlash and Alecon as the awesome dad you are gonna be !

Happy birthday Ghostlightning, ace that father thing and keep beating the bad Haros !

+Sunshine/.lolikappa

OY, OLD MAN!

You’re getting even older! That’s pretty badass or something. I mean, time! It fucking happens! You’ve survived even more of it!

But on a more serious note. You’re one of the handful of anibloggers I’ve actually gotten to know over the last few months, and I just want to say how much I respect you. You support your awesome family (including the most adorable aniblogging baby ever), you run a good blog, you’re an intelligent and thoughtful writer… You’ve managed to hold on to your childhood passions and channel them into a mature and intellectual pursuit. It’s something I really aspire to do, and as someone on the cusp of adulthood, you’re quite a good role model for me. : 3

So yeah. Mad props, sir. Keep on rocking on into the infinite future! (And give BusterBeamSlice a high five for me!)

UltraEternalBlackout: Finding Bakemonogatari did a lot of good things for me, but none better than throwing me in the direction of WRL, Michael. I owe a lot of good friends to fate’s intervening hand, and you’re definitely one of them. As good a job as Digiboy is doing putting up with my never-ending questions, the advice you gave me when I first set off on this long journey has become the very basis upon which I blog.

Happy freakin’ birthday to you, man. Thinking about you growing older, I can’t help but imagine a frail older man with white beard and squinting eyes, perched atop a rock, directing the happenings of our little corner of the ‘net. And really, congratulations on becoming a dad. I’ve got a pretty good sixth sense, and my gut is telling me you’re going to be a really great father.

So once again, thank you for not ignoring that obnoxious little comment I left on your page that fateful day. I’d thought about becoming an anime blogger a few times before. Thanks to you, I actually followed through with it this time. You’ve set me off down the path to becoming the otaku I truly want to be. I can’t wait for the day when I feel I’m ready to set up shop in a blog of my very own, and can join the ranks of all the great Anibloggers in this hilarious, tiny little corner of the sphere.

Happy birthday, Ghosty. Here’s to many more.

0rion

Happy birthday; you survived another year! Here’s hoping that you are able to enjoy many more birthdays together with your family, that you keep on row row fighting the power, and most importantly, that you keep on remembering love. And not only that, but also creating new love, new blog posts, and new memories to remember and cherish for years to come.

…’zat everyone? Cool.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GHOSTLIGHTNING! WE’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER LOVE FOR YOU!