New arc and new characters!
Added 2019-08-22 19:39:19 +0000 UTCTo update you guys - a new arc is going to be up next, instead of immediately continuing "The Birds and the Bees". Why? A few reasons:
The story of Birds and the Bees is at its middle point, and is the perfect intermission split. It is about to introduce new character to the series that you've never seen before. This character has a significant role in the family in the current timeframe, but it's important to have the historical context of how this character came to be. That is the biggest reason.
The second reason is that the most frequent request we get for an arc of the comic is backstory on Toby's mother. Looking back on it, perhaps we should have started with this arc all along, since it really sets the stage for how things came to be.
I'd always wanted Sweet Leaves to be the bright spot of everyone's day, something they could smile and laugh at, since it's something we all desperately need today given what's going on in the world. The backstory contains very sad elements, but overall, is bittersweet, and I have come to the realization that it's okay to display that in this comic initially. My goal isn't to repeat this sort of feeling, necessarily, but as a writer it's become a very important story to tell for me, and so, we're going to do it.
We will return to "The Birds and the Bees" to complete it once this arc is done, which is slated right now to be 6 pages. I already have the script written, and am in the process of refining it, but it's mostly ready to go.
But first! We are designing two new characters, one of which is Toby's mom, yes. The other is Nico, a spectacled bear, who was originally known as "Bruno" in the animated storyboard I did with Riisago, and has now been reimagined for the better.
We'll post the finalized designs of these characters when we're done, and then it's on to production of the new arc - called "Lei Day". I really hope you will enjoy it; writing it was very emotional for me and I'm sure when I see the artwork for it I will bawl like never before.
- T
