Answering SWFTD Questions + My 1st terrarium!🌱 (Patreon)

You won't be missing out on anything if you don't want to read this beefy post. It's only if you want clarification or to read some of my thoughts on stuff. Skip to the bottom if you just want to read about terrariums.

Table of Contents:

1. Why won't Grave sleep with Ellie?

2. Will there be more to the story?

3. Is this story just p0rn?

4. Why are you working on this alone?

5. Tier Pricing

Terrarium build

Final Thoughts

🌱🌱🌱

1. Grave, why won't you lay the pipe?? 

Grave is going to answer this in depth after they both deal with their horniness, but the short answer is: he's afraid. Like staring into the abyss, primal fear.  

You might think, "come on, quit being dramatic. He used to be a bootlegger. He's been to prison, war, whatever. It can't be that bad." And maybe once you learn more about his past, you'll still think that. He's hot, we can build a bridge and get over it. But what I want people to understand about Grave is that he's always lived life on the tip of a knife. Crime, war, bounty hunting are all things with a high mortality rate. He's never had to really care about anything or anyone because the chances of him dying tomorrow are so high compared to the average person. 

He could just hit it and quit it with women in the past because he didn't give a fuck if they left or not. And then comes along a cute girl who's chill and makes him feel at ease because she doesn't really have any expectations of him. She just wants to be around him, and it makes him question his existence and reconsider the value of what time he has left on this planet, so suddenly it matters if he comes home or not. He can't be as reckless and gamble with his life like he used to. 

Not fucking ≠ rejection. I could have easily fabricated something to interrupt them and take away their agency, but I wanted Grave to show restraint and to show that he cares. He's nearly 300 lbs of testosterone. Of course he wants to ravish her, but her wellbeing means more to him than a night of quick, easy fun. And you might think "How does he know what's good for her?" and to that I'd say: he doesn't. We have no idea what the scope is of Ellie's values or moral compass. She's shown a lot of empathy and compassion so far, but everyone draws a line somewhere. Just because you can understand and empathize with someone, doesn't mean you'd want to build a life with them, especially if they've done things that greatly conflict with your values. He doesn't want her to live with the cognitive dissonance that comes with unknowingly fucking someone you might consider morally bankrupt. Again, he doesn't have all the answers. He's just trying to preserve what he has because he's just as vulnerable.

I'm going to let the characters speak for themselves, but I understand not everyone has the patience to let the story play out. I realize time is a precious resource, so I'm writing this to anyone who may be on the fence but still wants to give the story a chance.

2. Will there be more to the story? Any villains, conflict, things to work towards?

Yes to all of that. I don't think anyone believes me because A. I'm slow at drawing, B. producing a comic takes a long time, C. I haven't had time to build rapport with my readers, so people don't trust what I say. Maybe it's not a lot to other people, but I'm working with a 20,000 word timeline/script. It's a mix of the two because I'm still working things out. That's not counting separate files I keep to go into more depth on certain plotlines, character profiles, or world building elements. It's not Tolkien thicc, but there is lore. There are 4 characters in the main cast, 6 in the main supporting cast, and over 30 side / minor supporting characters. Though the numbers are subject to change in the future.

3. Is this story just p0rn?

A lot of romance stories take years for a kiss, intimacy, or even acknowledging feelings for another character. I feel like there's a lot more pressure on me to have my characters fuck because of the precedence I set, but I never intended to write a plotless, horny story. It's really fucking hard to make money writing something that's completely sanitized and family friendly when you're a nobody on the internet. Featured creators have Webtoons to fund them, while I have NSFW. I like drawing horny stuff anyway so it's a win win for me, but this is a criticism that gets thrown around a lot. 

Historically, art has ranged from horny, to absurd, and depraved. Smexy times have been depicted by artists since the Paleolithic age when people were still living in caves. It's nothing new and people will always be mad, wanting others to stay broke on principal. We're seen as somehow less of an artist if we draw people doing the most primitive thing known to human kind. I want to be able to continue writing my story, pay my bills, take care of my family, and save for retirement so people will just have to stay mad if a random person on the internet drawing eggplants makes them lose sleep at night.

4. Why are you working on this alone?

As you may know, there's been drama since my inception on webtoons. It still follows me to this day as you could see from people trying to tank my ratings. I've gotten strange messages from anonymous accounts, and I don't feel comfortable working with others who may try to dig info on me to harm my family / friends / career. I'm also trying to figure out how to run a business and make comics efficiently. I may have illustration skills, but all that means is that I'm able to visualize and put it to paper. It doesn't mean I know how to direct or do all the things that are required to run a successful comic. I'm doing my best to learn. Maybe I'll be able to find people I can trust, but simply finding people that I can afford and meet the standards I'm trying to set is already difficult enough.

5. Anything else?

I'm considering opening up a $5 tier for additional behind the scenes content like character designs and more reflections on things. Some hints about stuff and so forth. It's only if you want to give that additional dollar so I can match the standard most webtoon artists have for Patreon. For now though, I'm keeping my prices as is despite inflation. I know it's getting more difficult for people to justify spending on art and people want an alternative to the media that's out there, so Im okay with making a little less than I would if I matched the price of other artists. I just don't think I'll able to offer more at the moment without getting burned out. Of course this may change in the future, but this is what I've decided for now.

My 1st Terrarium build!!!

It's not much, but I decided to finally put together my first little ecosystem. If you don't want to take care of plants, but you want a little green in your space, this is it. It's super simple. Create a false bottom with charcoal and rocks. Put nutrient rich soil or moss above that, then put your plants & decoration, hydrate it with a little purified / dechlorinated water, and if you don't want to maintain it, add springtails or isopods to work as a clean-up crew. These critters eat dead plant matter & algae, return nutrients to the plants, and help with oxygen flow so it doesn't get moldy. You'll still have to do a little trimming, sometimes adding some more water, or cleaning the glass, but it's hands off for the most part. 

For my build, I used charcoal and pumice for the false bottom. Pillow moss, some clippings from one of my trailing succulents, and a tiny, variegated string of hearts cutting. Succulents aren't ideal for a closed terrarium, so I keep the lid off and water the moss until I can get some tiny slow growing plants that thrive in humidity. I'm just propagating them for now. The mushroom is a polymer clay sculpture from a shop called MandarinClay. I have no idea if the paint will hold up, but I'm willing to try. I might add a sealant later on if needed.

SerpaDesign is my favorite Youtube channel for all things terrarium related. He's a far better resource so check him out for more info and ideas. BenjiPlant also has a great video on this.

I've really gotten into decorating with moss. I realized my plant collection was getting a little out of hand, so I opted for things like seeds and moss. Occasionally I'll buy little cuttings and a plant here and there, but I just don't have the time to do much more.

If you got through this thicc, beefy post. Thanks for reading ^^ It's tough to convince people that they're only seeing the tip of the iceberg when I can't just show my whole script.  Hopefully these crumbs are enough to peak your interest. See you with the next update!!