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Very important updates: Where have I been?
4 years ago
I'm not going to mince any words about it. I know that I've been a ghost lately in terms of art uploads. And I wanted to take a moment to explain the various reasons why.
TL;DR - Life and lack of motivation have gotten in the way, but I do intend to get back into the swing of things.
---
First, the "venting" part. I admit that this is indeed venting, so if you want to skip the "poor me"s, feel free to move onto the next section.
I think things started to get messy for me when I stopped uploading as much Pokemon art and comics. A few years ago, I was rocketing to a million pageviews on DeviantArt. Now things have stalled out for ages at less than 900k.
Oh god, DeviantArt. They're a huge part of this, too. I've spoken to some of the people behind Eclipse. and they were very pleasant people. But every problem that has come about in the past year with that site has been a direct result of their obstinacy and user hostility. This hasn't been a "phase" where people need to "just get used to" the site. This has been a constant downhill spiral in their whole site's viewership.
When I bring up all of these things, there is no spirit of compromise. Literally, the only explanation is that they "Can't go back" to the old site. And that the code was "over 10 years old." I'm no web designer, but even I know that the outer appearance of the site isn't the same thing as the deep coding. And this code is objectively worse in terms of both features and functionality.
I used to pride myself on thanking each new watcher individually. For the past year, I've not been able to do that effectively on DA because of how absolutely atrocious their notification settings are. And sadly, that has affected my presence on FurAffinity as well. Which I feel especially guilty for, because FA isn't screwing me over in the same ways DA is.
In short, DA has been a nightmare for me. And I am pessimistic about the direction it's been going.
Nevertheless, I am going to try and catch up a little bit on the personal thank-yous once again. I always am appreciative of all comments and support and I like to show that.We'll see how it pans out.
Of course, another issue has been trying to catch up on commissions. I've had to actively avoid taking commissions simply because I haven't been able to stay on top of them. Lack of motivation and energy is a big factor on that.
It's hard to explain, but most days when I look at my stylus, it looks like it weighs 500 pounds. I've always had anxiety looking at a blank canvas, but now there's pressure and a lack of motivation on top of it.
I also have a muscular problem around my bottom ribs that causes tremendous discomfort during prolonged drawing sessions. (Yes, I've seen a doctor, and no, they don't know the issue.)
So, I'm stuck. I want to do more Moonlight Angel stuff, but I feel it's done nothing but cause me to spin my wheels. Point-blank, it's not as big of a hit as my old Pokemon comics, and that's discouraging. Nevertheless, I'm still wanting to keep going as best I can.
---
So... the plan moving forward. As always, you can keep track of my commissions list here: https://trello.com/b/6kC9Lx9J/commi.....-and-art-stuff
That's the best way to see what's on the docket. After I finish this so-called "second wave" of commissions, my intent is to do more personal art, up to and including more Moonlight Angel.
I tend to be remiss in plugging my Patreon since I've been mostly doing commission stuff, but if you want some added insider info, sneak peeks at WIPs, fast lane commission,and early access to things, feel free to check out my page here: https://www.patreon.com/ryusuta
The two biggest goals on my Patreon will be to update the pledge levels as well as fix the Patreon bot on Discord. I'm also open to suggestions on how to make the Patreon more enticing. Lately, I've exclusively been releasing content on the Patreon Discord channel, since that is a more immediate thing. But for the Patrons that would like stuff added to the site itself, let me know! I want to give you as much bang for your buck as possible!
...Okay. The Pokemon comics.
*Sigh*
Long story short: Jackson & Jillian and Pokemorph Stories probably won't be returning. There's reasons for both of them not coming back. And I do apologize for people that enjoy them.
That being said, I am very much willing to do some more Pokemon Trainer at some point if you guys want to see it. That is always been intended as a temporary hiatus; so while Moonlight Angel is 100% my main comic and the thing I want to do most, I do intend to do more Pokemon Trainer pages here and there someday.
So... That's about it! Thank you all for watching, listening to my rants, and showing me the love and support you have. Believe me when I say each invidual bit of it means the world to me. This has been especially true for my Patrons and commissioners, whose understanding and support are beyond measure.
I'll keep y'all posted! Coming up next is a huge multi-person commission.Hope you enjoy it!
Peace!
TL;DR - Life and lack of motivation have gotten in the way, but I do intend to get back into the swing of things.
---
First, the "venting" part. I admit that this is indeed venting, so if you want to skip the "poor me"s, feel free to move onto the next section.
I think things started to get messy for me when I stopped uploading as much Pokemon art and comics. A few years ago, I was rocketing to a million pageviews on DeviantArt. Now things have stalled out for ages at less than 900k.
Oh god, DeviantArt. They're a huge part of this, too. I've spoken to some of the people behind Eclipse. and they were very pleasant people. But every problem that has come about in the past year with that site has been a direct result of their obstinacy and user hostility. This hasn't been a "phase" where people need to "just get used to" the site. This has been a constant downhill spiral in their whole site's viewership.
When I bring up all of these things, there is no spirit of compromise. Literally, the only explanation is that they "Can't go back" to the old site. And that the code was "over 10 years old." I'm no web designer, but even I know that the outer appearance of the site isn't the same thing as the deep coding. And this code is objectively worse in terms of both features and functionality.
I used to pride myself on thanking each new watcher individually. For the past year, I've not been able to do that effectively on DA because of how absolutely atrocious their notification settings are. And sadly, that has affected my presence on FurAffinity as well. Which I feel especially guilty for, because FA isn't screwing me over in the same ways DA is.
In short, DA has been a nightmare for me. And I am pessimistic about the direction it's been going.
Nevertheless, I am going to try and catch up a little bit on the personal thank-yous once again. I always am appreciative of all comments and support and I like to show that.We'll see how it pans out.
Of course, another issue has been trying to catch up on commissions. I've had to actively avoid taking commissions simply because I haven't been able to stay on top of them. Lack of motivation and energy is a big factor on that.
It's hard to explain, but most days when I look at my stylus, it looks like it weighs 500 pounds. I've always had anxiety looking at a blank canvas, but now there's pressure and a lack of motivation on top of it.
I also have a muscular problem around my bottom ribs that causes tremendous discomfort during prolonged drawing sessions. (Yes, I've seen a doctor, and no, they don't know the issue.)
So, I'm stuck. I want to do more Moonlight Angel stuff, but I feel it's done nothing but cause me to spin my wheels. Point-blank, it's not as big of a hit as my old Pokemon comics, and that's discouraging. Nevertheless, I'm still wanting to keep going as best I can.
---
So... the plan moving forward. As always, you can keep track of my commissions list here: https://trello.com/b/6kC9Lx9J/commi.....-and-art-stuff
That's the best way to see what's on the docket. After I finish this so-called "second wave" of commissions, my intent is to do more personal art, up to and including more Moonlight Angel.
I tend to be remiss in plugging my Patreon since I've been mostly doing commission stuff, but if you want some added insider info, sneak peeks at WIPs, fast lane commission,and early access to things, feel free to check out my page here: https://www.patreon.com/ryusuta
The two biggest goals on my Patreon will be to update the pledge levels as well as fix the Patreon bot on Discord. I'm also open to suggestions on how to make the Patreon more enticing. Lately, I've exclusively been releasing content on the Patreon Discord channel, since that is a more immediate thing. But for the Patrons that would like stuff added to the site itself, let me know! I want to give you as much bang for your buck as possible!
...Okay. The Pokemon comics.
*Sigh*
Long story short: Jackson & Jillian and Pokemorph Stories probably won't be returning. There's reasons for both of them not coming back. And I do apologize for people that enjoy them.
That being said, I am very much willing to do some more Pokemon Trainer at some point if you guys want to see it. That is always been intended as a temporary hiatus; so while Moonlight Angel is 100% my main comic and the thing I want to do most, I do intend to do more Pokemon Trainer pages here and there someday.
So... That's about it! Thank you all for watching, listening to my rants, and showing me the love and support you have. Believe me when I say each invidual bit of it means the world to me. This has been especially true for my Patrons and commissioners, whose understanding and support are beyond measure.
I'll keep y'all posted! Coming up next is a huge multi-person commission.Hope you enjoy it!
Peace!
That being said, would you consider releasing a short plot summary of those stories? just to know how they could have developed?
But if you really ask your crowd there will always be people in support of what you do because there is people who share a common interest. Let your past be a learning and leaping point but do not let it force itself to what you have to be. Do what you like most because then the people who watch you are doing so because its who you are, and not what your trying to be.
As for your medical issues I for the longest time had a short Achilles Tendon and many doctors who saw it did not know what it was until we found someone who did and now I have special inserts to accommodate my lack of weight on the heel. So its a position that is all to understandable the best I can tell you is meet more then 1 doctor to get more opinion's about it on your off time. That way you are more likely to meet someone who has an idea on what is causing you pain.
But my problem with that is the pandemic can cause issues that is why if push comes to shove and you need to find a solution if you haven't already been exposed or vaccinated. You should if your not a high risk individual get vaccinated so you are significantly less likely to be on the bad end of that in your search for a solution. Personally if you can avoid going out and about in such a time that would be ideal though.
And i am very grateful for this reply. It's incredibly encouraging. I hope that the content I put out will continue to be worth everyone's while!