I currently lay in bed, it’s 6:18am. I had been waking up every hour since 2am anyways, so it figures I would just stay awake. What’s got me too excited to even sleep? Of course today is the first day of online classes, a set of classes I’m excited to take that will teach me valuable animation skills for the foundation of my future, that’s incredibly exciting! But, I can’t help but feel like my body is prematurely excited for something else entirely...

Yesterday, there were multiple leaks across the internet displaying a new Flipnote Studio on the Nintendo Switch, each screenshot adding to the validity of the leak. Now, even if this were real, I had to contain my excitement, right? All that really mattered to me even back when Flipnote Studio 3D released was that it would have an online service. When that didn’t end up happening, I was left with my small uncomfortable 3DS (I animated on the original with a DSi XL by comparison) and a program I didn’t enjoy using as much as the original.

So when I saw more leaked photos and I saw the green frog resting near a logo that said ‘Flipnote Channel’ my metaphorical jaw went through the metaphorical floor. This has only been amplified since I woke up an hour ago, couldn’t go back to sleep, and noticed on the screen in the copyright information of Flipnote Channel Hatena’s Copyright next to Nintendo’s.

This whole thing feels like a beautiful fever dream. The comeback of the century. Quarantine could go horrible for me but I wouldn’t care because I have Flipnote on Switch, with an online service from Hatena!

Of course, absolutely nothing has been confirmed, which means my heart pains and aches with these leaks. They say that it’s TODAY we should be getting Flipnote! How am I supposed to sleep knowing I could be living in a world with one of my favorite things resurrected back to life here in less than 24 hours?

I mean, hyperbole aside I’m definitely not sleeping because of school starting at 8am and my sleep schedule being messed up, but I’d rather say it’s my love of Flipnote.

I find it especially fitting that in the past couple years I started going by Zlargy online again. Though I’ve kept my other monicker of AxeToday on YouTube and Twitter, Zlargy is the default name I give myself online. It’s a name that I haven’t had a proper reason to use since Flipnote Hatena shut down around this time in 2013. I feel very excited that with the potential return of a Hatena based Flipnote Sharing Service, we could be seeing the true proper return of Zlargy again. The TRUE Zlargy. Flipnote Hatena Zlargy.

I feel an awful amount of premature power just from IMAGINING myself with that kinda motivation again. Something about small ecosystems of creators like NewGrounds and Hatena makes me feel more powerful than say, YouTube, Twitter or Instagram. It feels like the playing field is more equalized, and that the things I make have an easier time of being appreciated. That kind of external motivation can turn me into a powerhouse in ways I’m normally not. It all comes down to how robust an online service Hatena wants to give us this time around.

I’m going to attend online classes today, but I know my mind will be set on Flipnote, patiently waiting for Nintendo’s announcement.

Could this be the official return to the glory days of Zlargy in my life? Let’s find out!