Giving you the finger guns *pew pew*

the woman who holds the moon

The book itself is super simple and very cute; it's nice little watercolors with like 2-4 colors each, a sample picture and swatches for the colors and step-by-step procedure on one page and a lightly drawn outline on the opposite page for you to follow when doing your own. About the lowest-pressure you could possibly get.

She spent several months not using this set at all, saying things like "oh I should take a class first" and "well I won't be very good" and I spent several months keeping up a relentless campaign of "it's ok if you never use it :) I was just trying to figure out a new potential fun activity, some ideas stick and some don't :)"

ANYWAY, take a look at my mom’s watercolors:

Over the past 7 or so years, we've seen this absolute shift in expectation, migration, and stagnation in the webcomics sphere which applies to style, sustainability, and the platforms grip on readers and creators

I'll be the first one to say that webcomics are not an easy way to make money and a majority of folks who make them rarely see profit. This has always been the case! But when virality, siphoning audiences from all over, and opportunity to 'get printed' presented itself, that expectation shifted.

So let's talk about what those expectations are now: 🔴Demand for Higher quality- less readers will check out beginner looking works or comics that feel too 'faulty' in style meaning less excitement to see webcomics grow over the years. Polish is expected and commented on consistently by readers

There is also an expectation for specific visual and narrative styles. This applies to other social media platforms too- in that works that take less investing in are often promoted and prioritised. That means less risks on narratives, less nuances, and shorter series running.

🔴All on one site/app- That may seem pretty fantastic for getting new readers (and is the absolute main sticking point for so many artists) but when algorithms and specific series are wanted, your works have a harder chance getting to the people they need to. The search function is trash for a reason

I'm not one to toot the competition flute, but there's a level of that at play when the spotlight for that platform is actually pretty small. What you get is a lot of readers checking out the same comics, and not spreading it all out to find yours (their subs have a cap for this reason)

🔴Sustainability (and lack thereof)- The creator of these comics are often burnt out and given little support- all while fighting to see what is allowed on the platform with its excitable censoring. I won't speak for originals (there's many testimonies you can find) but their experiences of burn out are harrowing

With the high production expectation for a person who is rarely given help (often has to hire out of pocket for that) and the readers who want Updates Now, it's a frustrating place to post your comics with no rest. It's 2026, we shouldn't be treating cartoonists this way still.

Webtoons (the company) is always going to be interested in making a profit. That's sort of where it all starts and stops here. They'll embrace the slop machines (more slop sources) for investors, they'll mistreat creators, cancel 'unprofitable' comics, censor work, and protect that bottom line. That's their MO, always!

So when I see these conversations that inevitably float around about Webtoons and how the only response is 'stop using it', I think we also need to deconstruct what it's done to creators and readers and how they engage with/create works too- because it doesn't seem that simple of a solution

Webtoons has solidified itself in webcomics as the Place to start and stop with comics. They want you to use their app of course, but they've conditioned folks to think it's the only way to share your stuff. How do we break this? How do we get people to stop using it?

We share resources 😎

Also, for webcomic creators who either make their own website or use a comic platform like Comicfury, consider using a peer-to-peer ad network like Comicad.net to advertise your webcomic and create ad space on your own website.

A scribbley little comic about the second time Raf invited Magritte to crash at his place; yogurt and overfamiliarity on a Saturday morning.

Thinkin' abt how, after this [and the first time Raf invited Margie to stay at his place], Margie just fuckin'...disappears for two weeks. Doesn't text, doesn't call, not even to confirm thursday night jam session, doesn't show up for thursday night jam session. And Raf has no idea what happened and literally no way to find out. She's just gone. And, especially after Thursday comes and goes, thinking about it just really kinda stresses him out because like...what happened? He kinda wants to think she just fucked off and didn't care enough abt him or his time or w/e to tell him she was outtie. Because at least then he could feel kinda righteously mad abt it. He'd prefer that over what he actually feels, which is an opressive dark cloud of major concern that smth bad happened to her. Miserable, disempowering anxiety.

Anyways, the following Wednesday or Thursday, Vic comes back into the studio after lunch all like "there's a homeless chick on the sidewalk really bangin' out the tunes on a toy piano, lol." And faster than Vic can say "toy piano", Raf is out the door to see her. And lo' behold, she's there! Stinky and greasy, but not dead!!

And she's there specifically waiting for him to step out for a lunch break or smthing because she really wanted to let him know that she wasn't mad at him nor meant to disappear or anything, it's just that, "Life kinda got crazy and I sold my phone thinking I could borrow another one from a friend, but then I couldn't and also I haven't really been able to, like, shower because [[vague guesture]] and I was hoping I could get my shit together before poppin' in on you like this but I kept putting things off because other things and I needed to tell you!!! We're still cool!!! We're still cool...right?"

And Raf's just like "...you sold ur phone? Like...the little...what was it, a nokia?" And Margie's just like, "Yah." And Raf's impulse is to ask why?? What happened??? What is happening???? But he also extremely does not want to reciprocate answering those kinds of prying questions, so instead he's just like. "Okay. You're okay..?"

And Margie's like, "YEAH. I'M OKAY. I SHOULD GO THO. Don't wanna get u fired it's like...2 pm or smth. Jobs!"

Raf scrambles to get her to no fuck off ("they not gonna...fire me."), inviting her into the studio--which she is vehemently like "No!! I can't have stinky be the first impression I leave on your cool music people!!" so he elects instead to drive her back to his place where she can finally force herself to wash her clothes and take a shower ("gonna stink up your car tho." "I mean, I smoke weed in there, ur really not gonna make it any worse.")

He's actually able to get her to spend a few days at his place this time, until she gets her hands on another shitty, cheap, flip phone. (It's still 2008, after all). And then she's gone again, but keeps well in touch.

Raf never actually learns abt why Margie vanished for 2 weeks, nor why she had to pawn a bunch of her stuff including her phone(???) nor...anything regarding that time, tbh. Nowdays, Margie would certainly tell him all abt it if he asked, regardless of any lingering embarassment/shame over the recollection. But I think they've both forgotten about it.

Francesca Hong

by the way. Fox News misspelled her name and I haven't seen anyone correct it yet.

Like Mamdani, she identifies her political stance as a democratic socialist. She's polling ahead of every other Democrat nominee, as well as Republican nominees, for governor which is huge given how purple Wisconsin is as a state.

She's the only Democrat candidate who has supported moratoriums on building AI centers. She has a plan to legalize marijuana in Wisconsin and use the tax revenue to fund rural broadband (high speed internet for rural communities, like farmland which is abundant in Wisconsin). She's staunchly pro-LGBTQ+, pro immigration, and supports abolishing ICE. She would also be not only the first woman governor of Wisconsin, she'd be the first Hmong governor in the United States at all.

This is her campaign website if anyone wants to see what she's all about.