38 replies to this topic

[chief]

For those of you who have not yet heard tragedy hit the SatAM community when news of writer Ben Hurst's death spread throughout the Sonic community. You can find the first topic on this posted by Nique, a friend of Mr. Hurst's here: http://sonicsatam.co...?showtopic=2423

After talking it over with John last night, we decided to do a memorial on FUS for Mr. Hurst. Ben was a great source of information for everything we know about SatAM and the "what would be" third season. He has taken part of interviews, live chats, and was always willing to help with anything he could.

I only had the chance to talk to him a few times, he was a good guy to talk to and willing to do a lot for the fans.

So, we would like to take this chance to allow the community to say a few words, post a story on your favourite episode, post some fan art for Ben. Ive already seen a few good drawings out there in memorial of him. Perhaps when Nique is ready she can share a story or two of what Ben has told her, as they were close to each other.


So post a poem, a drawing, a story.. Or even just a few words of whatever you would like to say. Everything posted in here will eventually be put up into a memorial section on the main site. Ben write some great episodes for SatAM as well as giving us plenty of information on the show. Lets show him our thanks eh?
If you aren't a member of the board just email me with whatever it is you would like to contribute. chief_fus@hotmail.com


I think I can speak for the whole FUS team when I say thank you for your respect, and we look foreword to seeing what you submit.


Paul

[Morgan]

Well... as I told some people, I'm not very good at wording things in a really spectacular type of way when it comes to things like this, so I'll just speak frankly.

Ben Hurst wrote for a show that I loved watching as I grew up. I was first introduced to Sonic when I was a toddler back when the games were new. Around Sonic 1 or 2. And close to my preteen years, I found SatAM and quickly fell in love with the show. Sally was my favorite female character, with Sonic, of course, being my number one favorite. To me, they were the ideal couple, and it thus inspired me to write some fanfics and draw some pictures. Some of which sucked and I'll likely never share with the general public. To this day, I still draw some SatAM artwork and in more recent years I incorporated some SatAM elements into a few Sonic fanfics which also had some elements of Sega things in there too, but that's beside the point.

SatAM inspired me to open a website. The very first website I ever had was dedicated to SatAM. And I idolized Sally's character as a young girl. And even now due to my love of the series and characters, I voice act for a few projects as Sally. That's not a plug, if anyone thinks that. At least not an intentional one. And like I said yesterday, SatAM is the reason I found FUS. It's the reason I've created bonds and friendships with wonderful people here that I intend to carry through life with me to the end of my days. So SatAM did impact me in a big way. Ben Hurst has had an impact on my life. This is a terrible loss, and he will be sorely missed.

I think I can speak for FUS, perhaps the entire SatAM community, when I say that even if a SatAM revival never comes about, we will carry on the SatAM legacy. It will still be with us as long as we never forget and as long as we remember Ben's part in this. Like I said on my youtube, Ben is one of the people who made SatAM what it is, and we will always be grateful and thankful for the impact he had on the show as well as the Sonic fanbase. I'm saddened Ben has gone, and even though I, myself, am Agnostic, I know he is in a better place, and I am happy that he went in peace, as he wished. Thank you, Ben, for giving us this wonderful show that has brought us together. We will certainly keep you in our hearts as you kept us in yours. Shall you never be forgotten.

[Shadow]

It was actually an episode of the show he wrote that got me hooked on it in the beginning. I never knew when most cartoons came on as a kid so I missed out on the show. It wasn't until the internet that I saw the series in full. I was a growing fan of the games so when the shows came out I was happy as a kid could be. Tho, when it came to the sonic and tails show I never really got into it. It was nice and goofy but something just didn't click with me. Then when I found out of the other show, SatAM, it immediately became my favorite show I never watched. My first glimpses were catching the tail ends of Sonic's Nightmare of him escaping the collapsing city and his funny hairdo. I knew in my mind from this 5 minute peak it was something special.
Then my mother was up very early one morning and it was on and decided to tape the episode for me, Sonic and Sally. This episode, was always my favorite. Everything felt like watching a half hour movie. When I watched the intro with the strangely fluid animation and detailed designs it really felt like a big budget animated picture. Watching the episode Sonic and Sally became one of my happier highlights of my early youth. The characters felt real to me like I could understand and care for them and had my first crush on Sally since I was so much like Tails back then.

I think it was from watching this show, because of him that he influenced me to become where I am with my artwork since ever since those magical moments of the show, I never put down my pencil drawing Sonic. Over the years I've learned to draw different and more complex things from different sources but Sonic...SatAM, was always my founding root of undying inspiration. Even today, when I look at the episodes he worked on I feel that master craftsmanship of storytelling which in this day and age, is very hard to tell in under 20 minutes with a young audience.

I did speak to Mr Hurst once when he visited this site. Sonique gave us all a chance to tell us what we thought of the show to him. I don't recall much of what he said but he seemed quite pleased that I had such a appreciation for his work. Tho he did say he forgot what the episode Sonic and Sally was about and said he was gonna rewatch it to refresh his memory.

I am glad we got the Sonic SatAM dvd released since he is now immortalized with the franchise so future generations will know who the maestro was who did these great episodes.

I think it was because of Mr Hursts and Alice's relationship that this fandom has gotten as far as it has. The founder of the lighthouse for the franchise with the blessings of a man who helped create it.
Thank you Ben Hurst for the great times.

[Gojira007]

I've been part of the SatAM community at large for about two years now, and a SatAM fan for as long as I can remember. And in part, I owe that, and all the wonderful things that have come about in my life because of it, to Ben Hurst. We all do. I don't mean to deisize the man, an act of surpreme disrespect if ever there was one, but it's true. The point of Art, after all, is to ripple out into the world, to effect things in ways both big and small, and in his contributions to SatAM and to all the projects he worked for, Ben Hurst did that. His love for the world he helped create and the characters he helped define became our love, and that is not something to be taken lightly. So thank you, Mr. Hurst. Thank you for everything.

[DarthGamer]

Ben Hurst was a one of a kind writer. I seriously can't remember the last time a writer was so dedicated to a television show. I thought of him as not just a brilliant writer, but a nice guy all around. I have loved SatAM for a long time, I even wrote a letter to Cartoon Network. Whenever I watch, talk, or think about SatAM, I will always think of Ben Hurst. He gave us a truly wonderful piece of animation that has managed to stay alive in the minds of many, and now I hope that we will always think of Ben Hurst.

So I send my prayers, and say for the last time; Thank You Ben Hurst. Not just for this show, but for being an all around good guy, and bring us fans together.
Thank you Mr Hurst.

[PSI Hedgehog]

Maybe I should add Rotor to my "Mobiusbound" avatar and consider that to be my tribute. He is only the one missing besides Sonic and Tails, but we see those two in just about every game.

[The Mysterious Traveller]

I could talk about the first episode of SatAM I ever saw. But it's not much of a story in all honesty. I'd seen an advertisement for it in Sonic the Comic's poster mag but, when it didn't seem to air, I began to doubt it actually existed. And who could have blamed me? I mean, there was also an advertisement for a cartoon which involved Sonic and the Freedom Team! Imagine if that had been produced, there'd have been three Sonic cartoons running simultaneously! But I digress. The point is, I put on the television one day and caught the few minutes of an episode I'd later come to know as Sonic Boom. That in a nutshell was my first experience with the show. Big whoop.

What's an even bigger deal was my later brush with the episode which I'd come to view as my favourite if not the best of the entire series. Sonic and Sally. Not just because it featured Tails, my favourite character, but because that episode really speaks to me. In a none schizophrenic sort of way, of course. Basically Robotnik creates a robot double of Princess Sally and the impostor fools everyone but Tails who sees it through the eyes of a child and realises that this is not the person he loves as a mother. And what I take away from that is this; no matter how deadly and sophisticated Robotnik's machines will become in the future, the Freedom Fighters will always find a way to win through. The smallest of them brought the doctor's evil plan tumbling to the ground simply by listening to his heart. So if they remain true and stay united, there's no way he can beat them. Because whatever his machines have in weaponry and AI, they lack one important thing. Hearts. Hearts of their own which are fuelled not by oil but the reasons they have to fight this battle. Bunnie even says as much at the end of the episode. Well, perhaps not like that but still. And that's what not only this episode but the entire series is about. How powerful a heart can be. And how unstoppably powerful many can be when they're brought together. It's telling that, in another episode written by the same writers, Snively says that Robotnik has no heart. And look what happens to him at the end of Season II. Despite all his power and weapons, he's lost every battle. As long as the Freedom Fighters keep fighting for their freedom, he's already lost.

And this is all coming from a cartoon. A cartoon based on a video game. About a spiky animal that runs really fast.

That's awesome right there.

This was the first episode Ben Hurst wrote and it set the standard for the rest of an epic series.

He was a master and the world is lessened by his departure from it.

So if anyone wants me, I'll be watching my Complete Series DVD set.

[ElistoDragonwings]

I may have only talked to Ben once, but through SatAM, he became an important part of my life. I hadn't even realized that until now. Thank you. You'll be missed.

[Justin]

Its hard to even find any information on Ben Hurst, not even a wiki page. I wish I could of met him.

Could anyone post his obituary, would that me too much to ask, just some closure?

Anybody knew what state he lived in. I'm guessing California. I live in Texas.

RIP Ben.

[hedgehogfan162]

ben will be dearly missed. even though i grew up with sonic x it wasn't until recently when i started watching old episodes of satam that sonic started to dominate my life and for that i thank ben hurst.

good bye ben we will miss you

[Nique]

Okay this first thing isn't a SatAM story or anything but it's a story I always remember about Ben because it made me laugh. One time he sent me a screaming though email (you guys know what those are right?) and I HATE those things. I don't remember my email that I sent in response but I must have sounded pretty angry because his reply was, "Ben makes mental note not to scare nice person again." That always made me laugh for some reason

On the SatAMy side, I know he wanted to have Tails discover he had some kind of really powerful flight abilities. Like he could at least keep up with Sonic and maybe even go faster at times. He wanted Tails to be able to use Power Rings eventually. I remember a scene he told me about that he had in mind was that Sonic and Tails were getting a power ring, and Tails would fly out and grab it and ultimately just rocket off into the sky. Then Sally would walk by and see Sonic staring into the sky and this exchange would happen:

"What are you looking at?"
"Tails."
*Looks up* "He's not up there."
"Yeah he is."

Anyway, more to come as I think of them

[Morgan]

Aww, that idea sounds cool, and that's funny about the screaming email! I never spoke to Ben myself but he sounds like a really friendly guy.

[The Mysterious Traveller]

Oh awesome! I'd heard that the relationship between Sonic and Tails was going to draw closer to that in the games! Like the way they ran together through the levels and stuff! The part about Tails being able to get a boost from Power Rings rocks my socks off! After being treated like a kid for so long, finally he'd get to be just as much of a hero as Sonic! Thanks for this, Sonique!

You know, it would've been great to see Tails save Sally with his newfound powers and her admitting just how much he'd grown up!

What's a screaming email, by the way?

[saber16]

"What are you looking at?"
"Tails."
*Looks up* "He's not up there."
"Yeah he is."

... That's hilarious.

Unfortunately... I really don't have anything to say about him. The show came and went before I got out of middle school, and over the years I started to lose some interest with the series, so I never looked up who created it and so on. I think the first time I found out about Ben Hurst was through the interview on the boxset and from what I remember (I haven't checked the dvds out in sometime... I'm pretty sure that's a sin of some kind), I was really drawn into what he was saying, how he described the show... anyone could tell how passionate he was about it.
Unfortunately, I still don't know about much of his involvement in the series, other than he had a big hand in season 2 and his outlines for season 3. He seems like a really great guy and it kind of bugs me that I just know him as the guy who did that Sonic thing. I really wish I could say more about him...

[SBaby]

"What are you looking at?"
"Tails."
*Looks up* "He's not up there."
"Yeah he is."

... That's hilarious.

Unfortunately... I really don't have anything to say about him. The show came and went before I got out of middle school, and over the years I started to lose some interest with the series, so I never looked up who created it and so on. I think the first time I found out about Ben Hurst was through the interview on the boxset and from what I remember (I haven't checked the dvds out in sometime... I'm pretty sure that's a sin of some kind), I was really drawn into what he was saying, how he described the show... anyone could tell how passionate he was about it.
Unfortunately, I still don't know about much of his involvement in the series, other than he had a big hand in season 2 and his outlines for season 3. He seems like a really great guy and it kind of bugs me that I just know him as the guy who did that Sonic thing. I really wish I could say more about him...

I'm kind of winging it too, because I really didn't know him beyond a SAGE chat we had with him a few years back. But even though he is gone, his legacy won't ever die.

[furrykef]

What's a screaming email, by the way?

I presume she meant a link to a "screamer", a video that tempts you into turning your volume way up (either by telling you to or just having very quiet audio)... then while your guard is down, something pops up on the screen and makes a very loud noise.

[Morgan]

I hate those. I had a "friend" who sent me that before. I said I hate him and he laughed.

[saber16]

I remember the "Where's Waldo" one...

[btstlouis]

If you had to pinpoint one man who was most responsible for what SatAM became, it is Ben Hurst. I had very limited experience with him, that being the interview on the DVD box set. From what I heard, however, Ben was always very gracious to us loyal fans of SatAM, from doing interviews to answering emails. I always wanted to email him or something, but never got around to it. And now it's too late

What Ben did as a writer though has had tremendous impact. Allow me to use a quick analogy here. You have probably heard that smell is the strongest sense tied to our memories. A simple whiff of something can instantly transport us to an earlier time or memory. This is kind of how SatAM has worked for me. A simple quote from Ben's SatAM writing or a small clip from the show can quickly bring me back to an earlier (and happier) stage in my life, childhood.

So here's to you, Ben. What you have done has created great memories for all of us in the SatAM community. May you rest in peace.

--btstlouis

[The Mysterious Traveller]

What's a screaming email, by the way?

I presume she meant a link to a "screamer", a video that tempts you into turning your volume way up (either by telling you to or just having very quiet audio)... then while your guard is down, something pops up on the screen and makes a very loud noise.

Ah, a practical joke! I guess Mr Hurst was a playful soul!