*Raincrystal gets shoved on stage with a microphone; she glances at the crowd, trying to appraise their mood* Hello, hello! ...is this thing working? *she taps the microphone, which emits a loud hum* Oop, I guess so.

Hi, everybody. ^^ I'm the new Editorials Assistant. Mistress Nightshadow has kidnap-- *coughs* er, recruited me to help with the load of work she's got to deal with; maintaining the section all by herself is no small job! She brought in several applicants for the position, we were reviewed by a committee, and voila, here I am. I'll be doing the update every couple of weeks, and the rest of the time I'm helping out with whatever she needs done.

Some of you may already know about me from my editorials, or from the #edscorner chatroom, where I have taken to hanging out at night. Then again, you may know me from somewhere else: the RPGamer message boards, The Art Corner, or wherever our paths may have crossed. You may even be one of my friends from the JFW-- a special shoutout to you, for always being there for me.

Editorial-wise, I admit that I tend to be a bit of a stickler for spelling and grammar. ^^; I'm the kind of editor who notices the mistakes leaping off the page and grabbing me by the throat, distracting me as I read. Remember to proofread your submissions! As for my favorite kinds of editorials, I love to see fresh new topics. If you're worried that a topic is "not really the kind of thing that people usually say here," write about it anyway. It's probably not only fine, but a great blessing from on high, that you've chosen to write about such an unusual idea. I also love feedback! Tell me how you think I'm doing. E-mail me if you have comments, helpful criticism, ideas to make the editorials section better, or just to chat. ^^

Editorial-wise, we've got some nice topics: a CT editorial, some new questions about much-debated games, a look at how to define RPGs, a comment on developer appreciation, and a comparison of two Suikoden characters. Remember, you can always look at an old game in a new light to come up with some unexplored questions. In a work as long and complex as an RPG, there's always another issue to consider.

It seems that lately Square has been playing the trump card of nostalgia for all that it's worth. Is Square's re-release of Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger an attempt to make up for a disappointment with Final Fantasy V and VI, or an attempt to further good sales already made? Or is it a bid for good publicity to boost confidence for the Final Fantasy movie and Final Fantasy X? In other news, Sega seems a little indecisive in their choice of alliance partners. Will Sega try to dip into everyone's buckets, or can a certain choice be predicted? What do you think? You tell us!

And one final teaser for Mistress Nightshadow's "secret event": it's my secret event too, and it's coming up close! Stay tuned and find out about our conspiracy...