hello8bit

[hello8bit]

A work in progress...

Aren’t we all?

Anyway... this post is more of a rant rather than a comic or game review. I apologize in advance.

Do you know how hard it is to get a picture of a tattoo that covers majority of your back and a part of your ass without it being somewhat provocative 🤦🏽‍♀️ luckily I don’t have many followers on here so it really doesn’t matter what I post!

Back to topic... So I don’t always get deep meaningful tattoos. Having some really talented friends in the industry makes it easy to trust and give them free creative control over a lot of my pieces. It’s almost like I’m collecting their art on my body.

Ok ok... so when I texted Nick about this idea all I said was “can you do a real dragon fighting a real unicorn” he asked no questions and we set a date. When finished, my back will have rainbows and creepy eyes on the wings of majestic butterflies. The unicorn is going to have a Goldish beam of light shooting from its horn and the dragon will be a dark and scaly scary looking beast with flames everywhere. It will be epic 🙌🏾 when it’s complete.

But with how beautiful this piece already is and how it will only be more magical when done there is a dark meaning behind it. A meaning that I think a lot of us can relate to.

Unfortunately we may never find our unicorn. And I use unicorn loosely - some might think of a special someone that fits so perfectly in your day to day that it’s almost surreal.

It can also be anything you desire but almost seems completely out of reach. Like you won’t every find that treasure at the end of a rainbow.

The dragon is such a great representation of humans. So much greed and so many demons and destruction that haunt us no matter how hard we try to hide from it/them (even the sweetest humans have demons).

And sometimes - if you are lucky or very unlucky... that dragon in you finds that unicorn you’ve been almost hunting for.

Again, the unicorn can represent anything you think is unattainable. The unicorn can also represent the light in yourself because I do think we all possess good and evil. It’s just how we use these qualities that define us.

And then even after Lady Luck kissed and snapped her fingers and before you is gifted that unicorn. That thing you never thought you’d witness with your own two eyes.

It stares back at you. It’s eyes tell you that they have been there the whole time.

But those demons, the dragon in you can’t resist. It loves to destroy. It loves to possess. It’s greed and fire and sharp teeth can’t handle the idea of pure happiness. So naturally it tries it’s hardest to devour and consume the thing it has wanted before it knew what wanting something even felt like. Destroying it completely.

This could be an inner battle - people are always fighting for self discovery. And it can just be you battling yourself in the process.

We can even bring drugs in to this and the fight of drug addiction and the demons that drugs can bring to someone’s life.

But for me it’s none of those things. It’s about being tired of the big bad. Whatever that may be in the different stages of my life.

So I got a tattoo of a dragon fighting a unicorn to tell my story. My story that is written in a painting on my back. My life and the things I’ve encountered. I’m the fucking unicorn and in this story the unicorn wins using light instead of dark.

So yea, I told you this was more of a rant.

Ok byeeee,

Samiha Elvira



[hello8bit]

Introduction... or something like that.

If I am being honest, I can be a bit snobish with my love for comics or anything nerdy that I am passionate about. It’s definitely something I’m working on... Although its hard not to boast when you have first prints and first issues of a lot of the comics people are just now getting in to... lol ok I’ll stop!

The truth is I’ve been reading comics since I was 12 (21 years now) and it wasn’t always the “cool” thing to do. I was not cool. I was a nerd. I wasn’t only a nerd but I honestly just didn’t know how to read. It was hard because I have a huge imagination and to think there was a time in my life that I just couldn’t read but desperately wanted to makes me somewhat sad.

I was in slow learning classes my whole life. At 12 I was reading at a preschool reading level and I got made fun of a lot for this. And then one day in science class a girl I barely knew but sat next to was reading a comic about this cute little dead girl named Lenore. She let me try to read the first issue and with the imagery/word combination for the first time I was able to read something other than Spot Jump Over the Big red Ball and was intoxicatingly sucked in to Lenore.

Every month my new science class friend’s uncle would pick up each new issue for us as they came out. AND Each month I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I got to experience a written story that wasn’t a children’s books. On top of being able to read something with a story that was meant for a more mature audiance the art work was so fucking cute. I LOVED IT! Every bit of it. I still have all of these issues because they play a huge role in my life. Who would have thought a comic about a cute little dead girl would be the leading factor in to how I taught myself how to read.

My ultimate goal was to be able to read all of the Harry Potter books that were out at the time. So impatient and incapable of waiting a whole month for the new issue of Lenore I started going to comic book stores on my own and searching out comics with deep storylines and intense visuals to hold me over. Eventually it turned in to me waiting each month for not just Lenore but all of the other amazing series I had discovered along the way.

Wednesday’s started to be my most favorite day. New comic release day!

It didn’t take long before I was able to read Harry Potter amongst other amazing novels. Harry Potter being the very first chapter book I was able to read. AND LET ME TELL YOU... I couldn’t put the books down. I would wait in line for the new title midnight releases with my mom (she was just happy I was reading and excited about it) and I would sit in the downstairs study and just read until my eyes bleed.

I remember my mom walking by the room one day and looking in and muttering to herself “I can’t believe she’s reading” and to be totally honest I couldn’t believe it either.. Something I used to struggle with and hate had transformed in to the most magical gift I could ever receive.

Now I dont know what I would do if I couldn’t read. Reading is a daily thing for me and still being a hardcore nerd its a bit haunting. I still misspell words and my grammar isn’t perfect which is a huge insecurity of mine. Not to mention majority of what I read are comics. Leaving me still somewhat of an outsider.

Oddly enough since I am a female in the comic/gaming world I tend to hear a lot of sexist comments. Sometimes insinuating that the only reason I read or play videogames or DnD must be because I’m riding a trend.

I’m not denying others aren’t doing this (male and female) but come on, really? When do I get to just be myself without constantly having to prove my identity. I built my first PC when I was 13 and started playing counter strike, quake, halflife amongst so many other games. I would lug my giant tower and monitor to my friends house and we would have LAN parties and play all night long.

When I was old enough I worked at GameStop. I worked there for 7 YEARS! Meanwhile keeping up with all my favorite comics. I have hundreds - I used to have thousands 😱 but had to dial it down and sell or give a ton away. I am so much a regular at the local comic shop here that I am now friends with all the people who work there! And the amount of times I’ve cosplayed in my life for megacon or Comic-Con or any fucking con is insane. And not sexy cosplay, real deal Battlestar Galactica viper pilot - or Sander Cohen from Bioshock. Even Desmond from assassins creed!

I honestly dont know any other way to be... So if you read this blog know every post about every comic, videgame, table top game, or nerdy movie/show will be written with passion... Because this is the stuff I love and I can’t help but want to share it with whoever wants to know about it.

Anyway I have gone on too long. Bye

Samiha Elvira

[hello8bit]

DUNGEON MASTER

I have only played DnD a handful of times. Honestly I don’t even know how I became a DM but I am a fucking natural if I do say so myself. The trust each person puts in me - to devote 4 hours of their lives - to play a storyline I wrote out and to continue to want to keep the story going and with so much enthusiasm is such a rewarding feelings.

I know it’s not your typical spiritual healing but to me it goes beyond spiritual healing and into an inter dimensional mind melting meditative state. Pulling every inch of creativity you have and bringing it to life - played out right in front of your eyes.

Each game - a story you created - just dancing in front of you like majestic dueling dragons. With every breath of fire just waiting for you to expose what happens next.

And the friendships, oh the friendships I’ve made. The people I’ve connected with who are on that same level of wanting to be someone else for the night and are so eager to let go of the stresses of the world to encompass each part of the world you created.

I love my DnD group. I love each person. We don’t just play DnD, although this is what brought us all together. We now have pancake parties, spooky movie nights, art and Buffy the vampire slayer, and random smoke a joint in a closed park while swinging nights.

Each person different from the next making the groups dynamic so interestingly amazing it is just so fun to see who’s gonna do what next. Something always unexpected and something always a bellies laugh worth.

Nerd or whatever - but DnD is 100% a happy place for me and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.

[hello8bit]

Seven To Eternity

Holy fuck, like holy fucking fuck. This... this is truly a work of art. Every single page is a treat to look at. The book itself just feels good in my hands.

For real, kudos to the illiterator and the whole design team on helping the genius writer Rick Remender provide such a wonderful package 🤤.

The storyline is very different and well written. It’s so detailed. With the extremely complex artwork making it even more immersive than the writing already proves to do.

Each issue serves better than the last and I’ll be straight - I did cry pretty hard at some point in volume one. I cried because of the first volume! That’s a first, honestly.

It’s inspiring. Truly one of the best new series I have discovered in a while. Greatest part about finding this series : I went in with blind folds. I didn’t realize it was the same writer as Low. I’ve actually not read Low yet and now feel I’ve done a disservice because the writer is just that incredible. (Add it to the list)..

It’s tough trying to navigate through a blog entry after reading a comic without including any spoilers. So naturally I’m going to switch gears for a second.

The storyline is great - but I want to talk about the escape you as a person goes on when reading this series.

It’s hard sometimes - days are hard - nights can be harder... this isn’t always the case but let’s be real - it happens from time to time. Life just doesn’t go the way you were hoping.

Well, this series is kind of a nice little escape from reality. Most comicbooks, movies, shows and etc. are but not all are done well. This one on the other hand is done better than well. It helps you escape but it also helps you feel. Feel sad, confused and in disbelief. Yea, I feel all of those things and it makes me curious how that’s where my brain went.

It’s so unpredictable. I am pretty good at figuring out what will happen and I pay attention to foreshadowing but I’m a bit thrown off with that ability while reading Seven to Eternity. It’s a love hate thing happening and it’s very enjoyable.

You should read it if you haven’t and if you have send me your thoughts - or whatever.

Samiha Elvira 💖

[hello8bit]

FAITHLESS

I honestly don’t know how to put in to words what is happening in this comic. It’s definitely an erotic comic but in a very uncomfortably demonic way.

Imagine reading this extremely well written and illustrated book that is actually very hot. Like FUCKING HOT - and you turn to the last page left with a feeling of disgust and a cliff hanger that makes you desperate to read the next issue.

And with each issue only getting more erotic and demonic as you go - that uncomfortable feeling deepens with every turn. But that feeling you are left with isn’t distaste - but satisfaction - because when something can leave you feeling any feeling at all it usually means it is well done...

That is 100% the case when it comes to FAITHLESS. It’s so well done that you only feel uncomfortable because that’s how they want you to feel. That’s how you want to feel and therefore you escape in to a world that isn’t your own. A world so fucked up you almost wish it was written about you.

Life is heavy sometimes so finding those stories that allow you to escape are magical and even those that pull you out of your comfort zone are in my opinion more genuine than a lot of the mindless stuff that is pushed out just to make a buck.

I highly recommend FAITHLESS to anyone who can handle heavy sexual content and loves horror.

Anyway, happy Wednesday,

Samiha Elvira 💖

[hello8bit]

COFFIN BOUND

I was lucky enough to snag first prints of both #1 and #2 single issues released thus far and boy am I glad. This comic is already on its 3rd printing for the first issue and the series is gaining momentum fast.

It’s rare when you find a comic so poetic and morbid at the same time. And the beauty! How it can be beautiful in such an awful way that for some odd reason you just let yourself fall in love.

Basically what I’m trying to say is, pick this series up. Lose yourself in a world where being dead is the only feasible option and doing all you need to do before you “unlive” is of the most importance.

And if you are lucky, I recommend getting first prints of all the single issues as they come out. It’s just that good and if you are a die hard comic collector like myself - owning the first print of comics you love is so satisfying in its own right.

Goodnight

Samiha Elvira 💖

[hello8bit]

Hi,

I’m Samiha and it’s true, I am a pretty baller DM. But this isn’t just about DnD. This blog is about everything that makes me... well, me.

Mostly I read a lot of comics and play a lot of videogames. People might think I’m an artist before nerd but the reality is... I am a hardcore - obsessive - would rather sit and build fantasy worlds or go to the local comic book store on a Saturday night than sit at a bar nerd. In almost every sense of the word.

So if you like reading about good comics, funny DnD stories or play along with me on whatever videogame I’m playing then you have come to the right place.

PSN gamer tag: Shamurai_

Xbox: shamurai5

Switch: shamurai

WoW: Shamurai

Twitch: TheRealShamurai

Instagram: SamihaElvira

Art Instagram: Misomia

See ya.

Samiha Elvira