This past weekend, the world lost one of it’s kindest and sweetest – and also one of its strongest – friends.

Christine Larson passed away yesterday, after a rough battle with the flu.  Christine was one of the heads for one of the largest anime and Japanese-cultural conventions on the east coast; Katsucon.  The Japanese word Katsu has many meanings (depending on the context and the spelling), but many of the definitions connect to ‘victory’, ‘realizing the truth’ and even just purely ‘living to the fullest’.

For those of us who knew Christine, no words are really necessary.  You remember her smile.  You remember her laugh.  You remember the way she was just the perfect combination of sweet and yet honest, uplifting and yet real.  And she had an amazing knack for motivating people, for making them realize just what they could actually do without pushing themselves too far or too hard.  Christine was a quiet but amazing leader, whom didn’t just inspire others but made them better just by virtue of working with her.

For those who didn’t know Christine, no words will be enough.  No words can convey how wonderful she was, how generous and kind she was, and how loved and admired she is.

The anime community, the sci-fi/fantasy community, the world as a whole, has lost someone truly wonderful.

You are already missed, Christine.