Sunday Spotlight: natsukigirl

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Happy new year and welcome to the first Sunday Spotlight of 2016! This week I wanted to highlight an internet friend who is very inspirational to me (and I am secretly hoping to channel more in 2016). Natsukigirl always posts colorful photos of their Japanese games, toys, manga collection, and all-around cute stuff, and I seriously can’t get enough of it! They can be found in a variety of places on the internet (that I’ll link to at the end of this post), but for their photography, I highly recommend their Instagram for tons of cute stuff like this:

In addition, if you’re a fan of Yokai Watch, they make all kinds of content for Watch of Yokai, a Yokai Watch fan site. I admit I haven’t been bitten by the yokai bug yet, but natsukigirl’s merchandise photos are always super cute!

You can also find natsukigirl on Twitter, Tumblr, and their personal site, in addition to Instagram. Just don’t blame me if you suddenly develop an interest in cute Japanese dolls and Yokai Watch medals!

Sunday Spotlight: Pokéscans

12 / 20 / 15

It’s no secret that I love all things Pokémon, so for this week’s Sunday Spotlight, I have to highlight one of my favorite stops on the internet for Pokémon-related goodness: PokéScans! PokéScans features scans from all different kinds of Pokémon merchandise from Tumblr user PacificPikachu, with occasional submissions from other users. From popular items such as the yearly holiday collections to old Japanese guidebooks, there is always something fun to see at PokéScans if you’re a Pokémon fan!

Pokemon Decochara Seal Holder Christmas — Cover of a Christmas-themed sticker binder from the Diamond and Pearl days! (source)

Be sure to follow PokéScans on Tumblr if you want a daily dose of cute Pokémon scans on your dashboard!

Sunday Spotlight: JRPG.moe

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Yet another Sunday has rolled around, and you know what that means: Time for a Sunday Spotlight! Can you tell I’m running out of witty things to say in these intros? Moving on…

Here at Chic Pixel, we love a good JRPG. That’s why this week’s Spotlight is highlighting an awesome website that is all about just that! JRPG.moe bills itself as a site for those who get “fired up” about Japanese role playing games, so don’t let the .moe scare you – it’s definitely not only about cute anime girls! I love that JRPG.moe covers both Japanese and English game releases, and is written by someone proficient in Japanese, so you can count on it for accurate import impressions and news translations! Start off with JRPG.moe’s December release calendar to see what you need to put on your shopping list this month before moving on to some in-depth editorials and JRPG news.

Be sure to like JRPG.moe on Facebook and follow it and its editor on Twitter to stay up to date on all things JRPG!

Sunday Spotlight: Momorave Geeky Cute Crochet

11 / 29 / 15

Who doesn’t love some geeky crafts? Since I wasn’t able to include any crafters in my nerdy gift guide this year, I thought it would be nice to highlight a handmade in case anyone wanted to pick up a something with a more individualized touch this holiday season. That’s why this week’s Sunday Spotlight features a geeky crafter named momorave who makes some darn cute amigurumi!

For the unfamiliar, amigurumi is the Japanese word for knitted or crocheted stuffed animals. The majority of momorave’s amigurumi consist of “derpy” versions of various Pokémon such as the Espeon pictured above that are sure to bring a smile to your face! She also has a number of bird amigurumi that aren’t especially nerdy, but are still tremendously cute.

If you’d to pick something up from momorave’s shop for Christmas, be sure to do so before December 1st. You can also follow her on Instagram to see all her latest craft projects!

Sunday Spotlight: My Fair Hunter

11 / 22 / 15

The Japanese release date for Monster Hunter X is fast approaching, which means I am all about Monster Hunter right now! Over the next week or so I’m going to be celebrating all things Monster Hunter on my Twitter, Instagram, and this site, starting with my review of an amazing Yian Kut-Ku 3DS case I posted on Friday.

As such, this week’s spotlight highlights two of my favorite Monster Hunter players: Sarah and Roy of the My Fair Hunter podcast! Of course you probably already know how cool Sarah is as a co-host of Chic Pixel Plus, but if you’re a fellow Monster Hunter fan, I highly recommend checking out their fun show. Right now they’re playing through Monster Hunter 4U, and they always make sure to explain strategy and give tips for new players, making it a fun and informative for players of all skill levels.

You can watch My Fair Hunter video podcasts on YouTube, as well as follow them on Tumblr and Twitter. They also have a Patreon, which offers access to early access to videos, as well as a bunch of other goodies!

Sunday Spotlight: Fiction-Food Café

11 / 15 / 15

Who doesn’t love food? Eating is one of the pleasures of living, and there’s nothing I love more than food inspired by my nerdy interests. After all, the abundance of themed cafés in Japan was the major reason why I started my Japan Envy column!

Splatoon cheesecake — Splatoon-themed ink splatter cheesecake! Wouldn’t this be great for a Splatfest party?

The Fiction-Food Café blog takes this one step further by offering a variety of recipes for nerds such as myself to recreate food inspired by my favorite media at home. I love that the Fiction-Food Café doesn’t stick to one type of nerdy media, either! In fact, the latest post is a recipe for mushroom scones for the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, which certainly has influenced more than a few anime, manga, and video games.

I have yet to actually try recreating one of the recipes myself, but it’s definitely high on my list! If you’re a hungry nerd like me, I can guarantee you’ll have a blast reading through all the awesome recipes at Fiction-Food Café.

Sunday Spotlight: MogKnight Niche Game Streaming

11 / 8 / 15

Hear that sound? That’s the first week of November whooshing on by! It’s already the first Sunday of the month, and boy am I not ready for the holidays. But enough about me! This week I’m excited to spotlight a long-time internet friend of mine who is making a name for himself in video game streaming: MogKnight!

Mog prides himself on niche games, so you’ll see all kinds of craziness on his near-daily streams. And if you aren’t able to tune in to the live playthroughs, there’s always archives and Mog’s YouTube channel, though you won’t have the fun of being involved in the chat! It’s worth pointing out that Mog is extremely friendly to all walks of players and does not engage in racist or sexist trash talk or jokes, so you can rest assured you will feel welcome in the chat room.

If that sounds its up your alley, consider adding MogKnight to your streamer rotation! You can keep your eye on his every move on Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter.