Musings: November

It’s a new month, and I didn’t forget about the musing post this time! 

The most important update for you guys is that I’ve officially switched over from a per-chapter payment system to a monthly payment system! You don’t have to worry about how many times you’re going to get charged in a given month anymore! The total pledge is finally high enough that I can get away with just one payment a month. Nothing else is changing, at the moment, your pledge levels and benefits are all staying the same, it’s just a little simpler for everybody.

Oh, one more thing I’m gonna start doing; People are always asking me about what’s next, or how long it’ll be until the next chapter of X, or when their turn is coming up in the commission rotation, so I’m gonna start posting the current rotation in these musing posts. Titles in parentheses have been finished and are currently available in early access. When I get to the end, the list repeats.

(Xiaolin Showdown; Boiling Point) > (Gwen’s Curse) > (Harry Potter and the Serpent of Gryffindor) >(Poll: A Class Of Their Own) > (Mombot) > By the Horns > Satyr Story > Happy Birthday > Ghost Story > Ciri in Heat > Poll > Lay on Hands 

Now, on a more personal note:

So, I’m working this new job, and it’s going pretty well. I’m still trying to work out a system that balances patreon writing with the writing for the new job, so appreciate you all sticking with me as I… adjust. It’s challenging. I feel I have to prioritize writing for the job, because they pay me, like, a potentially livable wage, and because I have actual deadlines now (if I don’t finish my dialogues, the artists have nothing to work off of, which throws off the whole system). But if I do the work-writing first thing in the morning, I’m either too drained or too unfocused to do patreon writing in the afternoon, while if I do patreon writing in the morning, I can usually do some work writing after, but I can’t guarantee that I'll be able to focus long enough to do as much as I need to. I’m trying a couple different approaches, different ways to schedule my time to see what works, and I’m even considering getting my ADHD meds increased to twice a day so I can stay focused and productive for longer through the day.

It’s certainly provided some new challenges, no question, but… I cannot describe to you how strange it is to actually have money now. Like… I usually try to keep enough in the bank to cover the next month’s expenses at least, but that hasn’t always been possible, I’ve had to delay paying bills until the month’s patreon payments came in before. It’s been getting better lately, as my patreon has been growing, but it’s still a little close. My pay for my first two (relatively short) weeks of work at this new job is enough to cover two full months of my current expenses. And more than the big things, it’s the small things that throw me for a loop. I can buy Hollow Knight for $12 without checking my bank account first. I can buy a box of Count Chocula without feeling guilty about it. I can go see the doctor without having to save up for it specifically. I don’t think I want to sign up for any sort of monthly expense just yet, I think I’ll wait until I get a real paycheck to figure out a proper budget, but… I might be able to get actual health insurance! Maybe a gym membership, or therapy, or maybe just start making a dent in the debts I’ve been ignoring for too long... 

I can’t thank y’all enough for supporting me up to this point. I know I’m just a guy who writes porn you like, it’s not like I’m a scientist working on a cure for cancer or an end to climate change, what I do isn’t going to change the world, and your pledge, be it $1 or $5 or $25, doesn’t feel like it’s all that important in the grand scheme of things. But it’s changed my life. Without all of you, I would probably have stopped writing once I hit my first big depressive episode and never picked it back up out of shame. Knowing people like my work enough to support me has kept me going, kept me motivated to follow a schedule, to try new things, to keep improving my skills. If things had kept going as they were, before I started doing this, no job, no prospects, no marketable skills, a deafening silence from every job I applied for… I don’t know if I’d have survived this long. Maybe I’d have found something, eventually. Maybe I would have worked hard and gotten paid and made my way up to manager, maybe I would have an apartment of my own and a dog and maybe even found a girlfriend (or a boyfriend, for the record). But even then, I don’t think I’d enjoy my job nearly as much as I love this one. So, once again, thank you all so, so much.