IF YOU’RE GOING THROUGH HELL KEEP GOING

I was a bored college student back in early 2011. I had just finished playing a nuzlocke of Pokemon Diamond, and had been nearly done drawing that comic. While I thought I was going to play HeartGold next, various technical difficulities with regards to the game made me pivot to playing something different. Coincidentally a new generation of Pokemon was coming up, and a nuzforum friend gave me a copy of Pokemon White (JP translated version). The info about the gameplay was scant due to Pokemon not yet implementing global releases, but I didn't care. Still played it as a nuzlocke for fun.

Despite all the flaws of the game (that I noticed some time after my first playthru), I had a great time. And it gave a good premise of what I wanted to show from a narrative standpoint. My first nuzlocke comic was a shitpost fever dream (not literally but does feel like it lol), I wanted to try my attempt at a slightly more serious story. And tbh, while the forums back in the day mostly had joke-y/comedic runs there were many who were receptive to such things. Probably helped I was one of the first gen 5 nuzlocke runs being posted then.

Compared to some of the more current nuzlocke/nuzlocke-derivative works I have been catching up on, my stuff is VERY basic. I guess that is why some people consider it a "classic" nuzlocke because I just sort of drew it without changing TOO much of the main game story beats. I did adapt things I picked up over the years being in the nuzlocke forums community (changed a lot since I joined, and still evolving!) but again, not super innovative. Just mostly solid story with mild case of infodumping but I was drawing it assuming I would never do professional works! I am still a hobby artist and in terms of direct financial profits, I have made nothing LOL.

GIven how I had finished the other comic in a few months, I had naively thought it would take me 3 years to get it all out.

...It would actually take me 6 years.

I think me going through different life changes definitely affected my pacing for drawing Myths of Unova. No longer I had the free time or the energy of a college kid. I decided to go through medical school and graduate school and would finish the main nuzlocke story late 2017, years before my actual MD/PhD graduation. I had hoped to make/finish a "minisequel" called Episode Grey before completely graduating...you'd think I would learn that such fast turnaround was not going to happen but lol. Post-doc woes/COVID fucked up a lot of things too, making me take breaks for mental health reasons. Now I am in a more stable life situation and "back" on the project but it is significantly slower. But I am stubborn and will work on it until the end. I still got my files of the next pages and it is being worked on slowly!

Even when I change fandoms and interests, I will always look back at this project fondly. Sure not all the stuff I wrote/drew aged well but hey, it is a time capsule of my work. The number of people who told me (anonymously or not, through various means) this comic made a positive impact means a whole lot, and I am not kidding that I have tried to save most of the comments/fanworks you guys have sent me.

How long will it finally all end? I have no idea. But I hope (whether you joined my wild ride from the beginning or more recently) that you had fun experiencing my creative works.