Hey all. Haven't said much in a bit, but I'm still here. Been mainly focusing on my health lately. Not to imply I'm sick, but I'm just trying to take care of myself. Been doing a lot of running lately (Zombie Run 5k app has been great for this), sit ups, plank exercise, weights, etc. Needs to be done. I've been in a good weight for years but I knew I could stand to step things up. I've never been afraid of constructive suffering, you know?

I have felt somewhat swamped lately. Chiefly, my webcomic. Even though Arachnid Goddess only updates twice a week, it's still involving for me to work on. And it's been going on for years already. I think in the future, if I do a webcomic again, I'll be a lot more casual about my approach. Black and white only, probably with a less intensive story. In a way, AG gives me a sense of accomplishing something and proves to myself I can follow a task. On the other hand, the sad truth is webcomics don't really seem to be my thing. I don't have 'competitive' art. When I was on Drunk Duck, I had 104 subscriptions. Reasonable. I have a whopping 9 since I moved to Comicfury. Yeah, part of it is the subject matter, I get that. I have an ultra niche audience. Don't get me wrong, more than 9 people read it on a given day, but far and by large, it is not a successful work. Part content and part my lack of artistic aptitude. Having reviewed webcomics prior to this, the general thing is if it isn't a humor comic of some kind, it generally has to survive by its art or perhaps some previous good reputation by the creator. Most people only like the story if the pictures are purdy. Even today, there's a lot of mediocre written stuff that otherwise looks excellent. Some folks have talent, and some are willing to pay extensive amounts for someone else to do it. Unfortunately, saving is more important to me.

What it comes down to is webcomics don't really function like the uplifting theme to Field of Dreams. It's basically volunteered work done for passion's sake (hopefully). As a creator, all I want to do is tell a story and entertain. Without an audience, I'm about as useful as a mime in a sealed room. All that and I think it's gone on too long. I don't live an age  where people have attention spans that doesn't come from beyond obsessive fandom about whatever topic or media. Fair enough.

In other events, I'm doing a peril art request right now with Ahab from AG as a dominant in it. Nifty. Problem is, the subject I need to draw has deceptively difficult hair. I've seen several pictures now for reference and at first glance, it seems simple enough. But it very much isn't and it's driving me nuts. Even the other artists seem to have all done this character differently. I've thrown away about three sketches so far. I might not mind so much, but it is someone else's OC and I find myself holding that notion in more esteem than anything that involves my own designs. I am reminded why I generally avoid illustrating anyone else's IP like the plague. I'll get it done, but I really should have thought this through more.

Speaking of peril art, sometimes I wish there was a audience out there for male peril. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy DiD very much, but sometimes what I see feels like its just repeating itself. Things like bondage and danger are not gender exclusive notions, really. But hey, we males are often fugly creatures who have to wear boxy clothing to have an superficial identity. It's not a big surprise few really want to see much else. And no, I'm not counting the pics that are basically masculinized females. Don't get me started on that.

Ehh, forget I said anything. Remember kids; if you have an opinion, you're the devil for it. Stay classy. -Chernobog