Holy crap.
The fact this ever made it to the online world is a small miracle unto itself. The last few months have been, quite simply, hell. And sadly, through it, the comic was something that had to play second fiddle to my RL crisis of epic proportions.
I won’t go too far into it, nor am I going to name the parties involved, but to sum it up the two people I thought cared about me the most stabbed me in the back, and had been stabbing for some time. There was a brief period of homelessness, couch surfing, having had to leave my home due to the afford mentioned crisis, and then going through a process to reclaim my home and deal with the problem at hand, and then there was/is the ongoing process of trying to pick up the pieces of my shattered life and try to puzzle them back together. Long time friends have been lost, homes have been broken, and budgets hammered and much therapy will be needed over this whole debacle into the next year.
This is the sort of thing that destroys most people. Fortunately I am not most people.
I’m just now starting to get my creative drive back, doing what I can to resume some semblance of normality to my life, trying to re-establish routines and see what I can recover of my former existence. I’ve gotten an offer of help for the coloring duties, we’ll see how that pans out, it may or may not work at this point, but I’m hopeful. I’ve also been working on Shiftersonline.com and hopefully something will come in that vein soon.
Anyway, enjoy an update.
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Sorry to hear about your difficulties. Good luck with them.
Glad to see that Brymstone isn’t forever lost to us.
Holy crap.
You know, I always have a deep and innate respect for webcomic artists. I believe that they offer me a glimpse into the worlds of their stories, and most of them do so at the consequence of their own lives. They do things because they love to do things, and I am simply beneficiary of that support. Thus, I am perfectly happy to wait as long as needed for their stories to continue.
But.. as you said. Holy Crap. I’ve seen maybe a hundred or more well established webcomics over the last couple of years, and some of them crumpled for MUCH LESS than total and complete RL failure. That you said anything at all. That you returned. At ALL. Is a honor and a testament to your character.
I salute you sir, and take this for as little as a random stranger may profit you.
I hope things go better for you, and amongst the myriad twenty webcomics I keep tabs on, this is one of my favorites.
… Sir is a madam, just so you know… at least i think it’s a she.
Yes, I’m a girl.
Gak. Well. I do that sometimes. Apologizes if offended. If not, then.. This is not the typo you are looking for *Hand wavey. Hand Wavey*
When in doubt, use the masculine. English has always been a male-dominated language.
I do very much agree, however. Any update at all was/is impressive. I hope you soon get everything straightened out, and that such a thing never happens again.
Wow that sucks, in the way words can’t describe.
I really hope things get better for you and that your life picks up again.
This is one amazing story and great art, and I enjoy reading it even with the slow pace.
I’m glad you’re not too down to quit the comic, and again I wish you the best.
Keep strong shadow, things will get better for you eventually.
Glad to see you working on your comics too. Been a reader since 07.
The foreshadowing in the last couple pages is great, and the guy in the bottom right=STALKER!! good job.
Hope you get your life sorted and you get to do stuff you like more often, like DDR and such.
The art is getting better and better. I can’t wait to see the next page.
Oh my God that’s horrible! I’m sorry to hear about all of that!
I hope everything turns out okay. Good luck.
Sorry to hear about all that and I hope everything turns out alright. As Thayla said for you to come back after all that does say something good about your character.
That you’re still here and telling us is indeed a testament to your strength.
Hey there, glad you’re not most people, glad you’re able to face up to your difficulties, and most of all, I’m glad you’re back.
So, great to have you back, ShadowsMyst, and I wish you well on your damage control situation. I suck at words, so please don’t be offended by my front-wordishness
I’m glad you’re back and starting to recover. And I wish you the very best of luck in recovering from the hell of RL!
I’m really sorry about that, the fact that your continueing in spite of all that is a true testament to your character, like everyone else already said. I’ll remain a loyal reader for as long as the story goes.
Yes RL can be, inconvenient, but it is also a great source of writing material. Now when you weave betrayal, rage and despair into your comic you can _draw_ upon your RL experiences.
I’ve been betrayed more than enough times in my life to know what it feels like. It’s not a fun experience. Though it does grant a few things you won’t otherwise receive. Insight…and a realization that no matter how close someone is to you…you never can truly know them…that the only true form of trust is entirely blind.
Also…the pieces of your shattered life should remain broken. Take some of the old pieces…and build another. Keep the old shards as ways to look back on past mistakes, and troubles, for there will always be more to come. Having that past to look back on, can give you better perspective for your present. If you spend all your time rebuilding your old life, you spend too much of it living in what used to be. Regret nothing.
being blind means you must trust them, that is the point of believing in each other.
I really love your comic and hope that things pick up for you. I wish you good luck and safe travels.
Thank you for sharing your comic with us, and once again, good luck.
Wow, that just… sucks. Build up again, get your life back on track, don’t you DARE worry about us or the comic! Just keep on trucking. As long as a story exists it’s never forgotten. 😀
Have you hit writers block…I hope everything is going ok I know you had said you had hit some rough times.
I did. I’m still going through them, although they seem to slowly be getting better. Right now I’m suffering some major health problems. I’ll try to get back to the comics when I’m feeling a little more able, but right now, I’m just a little overwhelmed.
Like what? Is it carpal tunnel?
No, I’m afraid its a bit more serious than that. I’m not going to go into it, but suffice to say, it has resulted in me being hospitalized a few times for the pain. Its not life threatening, but it is very debilitating due to pain, and the medication used to control it makes me very very tired and groggy, and quite difficult to draw . I’m struggling right now just to make it through my work days. I’m hoping that some tests I’m having done in the near future will shed some light on a potential treatment option for this problem, but in Canada, while you may not be rendered homeless from the cost of your heathcare, you do end up having to wait a very long time for treatment. This is basically the boat I’m in right now. Its been a little better lately, and I hope I can try to manage my waking time a little better to maybe start updating again, but my health comes first.
Ouch, man. That stuff hurts, in many ways. From someone who’s been there, Best of luck.
I’m not sure about Canada, but my country is basically trying to kill eachother with adds. Whats the difference between a campighn add, and war?
In war there are technically “rules”.
I have a collection of web-comics and this is by far one of my faves. It brakes my heart to know that you have gone through so much pain and betrayal. I have done the homeless/couch hopping thing bfore and it is no fun at all. I wish there was a way I could help, both for altruwistic reasons and for selfish ones. I want more story but more than that I want you to be safe and happy. I know you don’t know me but I hold all the hope and best wishes in the world for you and I hope to see more sometime in the next few months. Be safe and keep dreaming.
Pip.
There is so much more story to tell! I’ve barely scratch the surface, and I do very much want to continue. The comments/messages are helpful in providing the encouragement and support. In my head I have such big plans, but life has been using me as a punching bag for the last 10 months. I think I pull myself out, only to find there’s more. First relationship issues, then health issues requiring major surgery (which I am seeking, but haven’t found a suitable surgeon yet.) We can add in financial issues and family issues (My mother is in very bad health and almost died earlier this year). I’ve also had to put other, paying freelance and teaching in addition to my full time job ahead of my hobbies like my comics to make ends meet.
Ultimately, I’d like to make the comics help with some of that, and when the time comes, support from readers like yourself who are willing to support the comic will be a huge help. If I can make something via book sales or merch sales to help supplement my income, I can drop the freelance and devote time to the comics. Which means more updates for you guys, and I get to keep my place to live and eat. I’m very fond of being dry and eating occasionally. I do have a plan, but I’m still developing it ATM, and seeing if I can recruit some help in terms of coloring the comics. (I’m good with drawing, shit with coloring. I take forever.) We’ll see, although I don’t expect to be able to move forward on my actual business plan until the new year. But there is a plan. Right now I’m kind of focusing on my health, and working on getting some backlog done. I personally think some of it is quite exciting, but I don’t want to say too much yet, since I’m still trying to figure out what I can and can’t do (yet), but keep watching and you will be rewarded come the new year, possibly sooner depending on my health.
It’s cliched I know but, as long as you’re alive. Good things have to happen.
Haha, we’ve been waiting for 7 months now, some extra waiting won’t hurt us anymore. ^_^
Take your time, your life still is more important than the comic. As long as there will be a continuation to the story, I’ll be very happy. I’ve known some comics which eventually just stopped being updated, or worse, got a rushed ending. This web comic is my favourite, so I really hope it won’t come to that. It’s far better to have the comic take a long break, to see it come back in all its glory afterwards.
So I’ll restrain my impatience and excitement in the meantime, until you have everything back in order. 🙂
It has been 7 months.. @.@; but your patience will be rewarded! Brymstone will continue, and it will do so soon, in pure GLORY. I’m not going to rush or just quit. I love the comic’s story and characters wayy too much to just, leave them to rot forever. I’m trying very hard to get back on top of things here. Keep an eye on the site for changes heralding the great return!
Best of luck dealing with all the issues that trouble you.
This comic is well worth waiting for, and we’ll be here when you return.
Thank you. 🙂
Thank you for your comments and yes, hopefully I will be able to return sooner rather than later. 🙂