I think this page really captures the original feeling of Between Places' art style. I'm trying to not lose the feeling it always had, while still using my improved Art Skills(TM).

I'm kidding. I was just feeling a bit lazier today. And like freakin' drowning but this isn't a blog, is it. I'm finding the comic kind of relaxing, I've been doing a LOT of paid art lately (not that that should dissude you if you wanted to commission me; art is actually my full time job now until I find new employment... I'm uh, not trying that hard yet though) and it's fun to sit back and do something with no demands except that which I lay upon myself. It's also kind of getting me back in a schedule mindset? I mean, today is Tuesday; it's a later in the day update but it's an update on Tuesday. And then the next one should be on Thursday if I can make it. We'll see. I might shoot for twice a week.

If you're worried about spoilers stop reading now! This didn't happen in my original script. Well. Okay, the original script didn't even have Rease in it, but I digress. The script I was following for the draft you guys were following, they went to the Temple and ran into Abbie, and had a pleasant conversation that was Not Confrontational At All oh no. And oh, it introduced a Small Complication(TM) that was the end result of a lot of leading up I've been doing... except, with the two year gap, I knew that the impact of that Small Complication(TM) would not be as powerful as it would have been following up from reading Between Places last week. You see, if I'd been posting this in 2011 like I should have been, you guys would probably remember that after Rease went to sleep, Saerin went to gather more wood for the fire, and then encountered someone implied to be Abroidine, the Maldlahin of Fire, and that's why her and Rease are here right now. They had a little conversation that went something along the lines of "you don't belong here, this is the land of the dead!" "But wait, I am dead, come back, you have to help us!" "Then come and find me!" And then Saerin went, okay, and her and Rease went off on their little jaunt in the forest after attaining pants for Rease, and now they're here. They were going to go into the temple and have a little conversation that was going to go a little bit like this.

Saerin: Greetings, Fire! We seek your aid!

Abroidine: (silent)

Rease: Hey. Omg she's scary, do something!

Abroidine: ...Who are you talking to?

With the perspective of what just happened, you might understand why this rapidly exacerbates into being the Small Problem(TM) I just mentioned. But if you're just dropping by and looked at the last couple pages, it doesn't quite have the impact I need it to have. You haven't known Rease long enough to fear for her sanity and that Saerin is actually a Cthulian projection slowly tearing apart her mind. You don't remember that Saerin talked to Abroidine only a few days prior and must be lying... right?

And so I introduced a complication that everyone can understand, with no backstory, no fnangling necessary. But, because I went to all that work setting up what was going to be a hell of a twist, I wanted any of you older readers to know. That was what was going to happen.

But I mean, what DO you say when you update a comic almost two years later than it should have been. What is there to say? Well.

1) Depression is a horrible thing, a very legitimate medical condition and antidepressants are not in fact the devil.

2) When you are literally actually allergic to the trees surrounding you maybe moving, regardless of financial worries, IS actually the right thing to do. So say, for example, you're allergic to pine trees and there happen to be pine trees surrounding your house. I'M JUST. SAYING.

3) Time might heal all things but it doesn't necessarily make you forget.

Yesterday, I finished this page. I sat back, stared at the computer screen, and realized I'd forgotten the last two years of my life and for all I know it could be summer, 2011, and someone's pulling a huge prank on me. Apart from a few highly significant events there's a huge blank. I know for a fact that I'd simply forget about emails. Read them and then realize a month later oh shit, I didn't reply to that. Days after days I would come home from work, crawl into bed, sleep all afternoon, eat something, go on the internet for a couple of hours and fall asleep again. That shit's scary, guys.

I'm going to try make the next few pages a bridge to 'start' the next book. Over the past couple years my art skills have improved fairly significantly. I've learned a lot about writing. About a lot of things. I always felt a little guilty though for leaving Between Places hanging. I want to try tie off a few loose ends. At least I had the good sense to leave my story at a decent jump point.

Frankly, I read over the last few chapters of Between Places, and I'll be honest: I can tell I was depressed, my heart wasn't in it, my art was so lifeless. I don't even know where I was going, the story was running in rambling circles. It might take a bit of kicking to get things off the ground again, but I do remember more or less what was supposed to happen next. I'm going to try make this point here accessible to new readers and we'll see what happens. :D Cheers.

Finally! Between Places makes sense! It just took me what, five years and a few beers to make it so.

It's been a long time. A very long time. But I remembered I didn't post the last two pages so here they are, this is the end of Those Who Favor Fire. What's next? I don't know! I was going to post Fate, I was going to post Winterbells (both of those have some degree of work already put into them)... there's a lot of things I want to do that I haven't done. I mentioned Unseen. It will happen. It's the sum of my life's experience. But not yet. I haven't quite got the artistic talent yet.

I'm quitting my job. Moving. No, I don't know I can support myself via freelancing. I hope I can. It's not like I can't pay for rent for a year and still have money left if I live frugally. I do hope to pick up a couple school things along the way so I can get into college.

I want to be doing a webcomic again. I miss it. Terribly.

I have another story I want to tell. It's shorter longform. We'll... see.