I got a few messages while I was gone, many of which asked if I was okay, where I was, and why I didn't write. (Get it?) They were very sweet, and I read them all, but I'm physically incapable of composing a response quickly, so for energy conservation, I'ma do that here.

I was okay, just on a lengthy break from all things social media. Maybe I was also a little bit more upset at the Patreon shutdown than I thought. I wasn't very far, but I was purposefully avoiding logging on or reading messages or anything. I just didn't feel like it, anymore. I honestly still don't know if I do, now. I'd forgotten what a bother it is to merely post stuff. Ugh. I think I'm going to try this in a more casual fashion, no longer trying to build up to anything. See how that goes.

I think I'm done writing for free. I would've loved it if it was possible to put neat little stories out there, and to have enough people who read them and want more, giving a few bucks so the whole thing is viable, but it simply doesn't work. At least, not at my current scale. There are those lovely people who give, for sure, but there's not enough of them in the world. It's too easy to get something for free, and do nothing. I know that firsthand, so I can't play the blame game. Thus, aside from commissions, I've been thinking of crowdfunding, for when I feel like working on my own projects. I'd present my story plans, then let folks chip in if they're interested, so I'm guaranteed to get paid for my writing when a goal is met. If I could find a few hundred people willing to contribute a dollar or two a pop for my stories, it might be a workable solution to avoid pure paywalls, or selling e-books on fucking Amazon. It would have the added benefit of freeing me from the subscription-style pressure to produce non-stop "content", which I disliked intensely on Patreon. I loathe "content". I don't want to make "content". I want to love my own art. Anyway, I might give that a shot, starting with very short stories to gauge interest, perhaps commissioning pictures to go with the stories for higher goals, etc.

Aside from that, I hope you all enjoy the new story, and thanks for the kind messages!