Page 193 - Not going with you

Annnnnd we're back! Thanks for your patience and the well-wishes for the holiday! I hope each of you had as positive a winter season celebration as I did.

I am currently awaiting judging, so no new Frost incentives for a while. HOWEVER, you CAN get some sneak-peek at some concept sketches for a project I'm currently working on, which will be fully developed in January. I'll post links soon, but in the meantime vote incentives will continue to update with some sketches, so check those out as well.

Happy Holidays - SoG to return the 30th

Hey all! I was planning to update today, but a blizzard is moving in and I have to get on the roads if I'm going to make it to visit family at all this holiday season.

I have updated the vote incentive with the last of the Frost pages for this round. This DOES mean there won't be any more Frost pages for a while, but in the meantime I will start posting concept sketches for a new project I've been working on in the shadows, so I hope you look forward to that.

All my best wishes to you in this winter season (or summer, if you're on the opposite side of the Earth) and I hope you have a fantastic new year! See you in a week!

Page 192 - The Call

Page inspired by the Jungian discussion group I take part in, which most recently discussed the nature of pilgrimage, both physically and psychologically. It totally reshaped how I was intending to approach this.

Page 191 - Restless

...why did I decide to use color? I hate using color! ARggg!

Page 190-Explore?

I recently bought a book by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law that I have been going through lately, and when I came to this page I found myself very inspired by her work. Please have a look at her website and DA gallery. You won't regret it. Also, there's going to be a Tarot deck published in the Spring!! I'm so excited!!

Page 189 - Always here

Ah, I posted a new incentive too, but I forgot to notate it. Sugar crashing now. Must eat.

Will try update vote incentives on Sat remotely, but can't update website. So just...check...please, if you are interested.

Page 188 - Door

I forgot to mention this last week, but vote incentives will be updating on Wednesday AND Saturday. If you miss any, click on "Gallery". Old vote incentives go there.

Color is kinda fun.

Page 187 - No longer color blind

I'm very happy with how these sections are coming out. I wish I dreamed up pages more often. It's so much better than technical-minded writing.

Also, the results for round three in Oberon's Garden were (FINALLY) posted, as well as Round Four's match-ups, so you'll have vote incentives for your enjoyment once more. So...enjoy...

Page 186 - Let us go

I had run out of buffer again and had resigned myself to having nothing to post today, and potentially for many days, until the muse returned. I had tried every option I could think of. I have written at least half a dozen different scripts. I had made piles of abandoned story boards. I have been through alternating states of anger, doubt, depression, and frustration through the past several weeks, all to no avail. Finally, I accepted that I simply could not force the Muse and would have to wait for it to come to me.

Then, Monday night, I DREAMED the answer.

All hail the capricious unconscious.

Page 185 - Stop Using them

Page 184 - Halfway gone

Page 183 - Legacy

I had this image in a dream.

Only it was creepier there.

By a lot.

Page 182 - Who are you

Originally I had a bunch of dialog here, but I realized in the end it didn't matter. In the end, the important thing was that they were so wrapped up in their patterns that they couldn't even notice the glowing red person in the room.

Page 181 - Holy technicolor batman

Updating early. Again. I'm going on a business trip. Again.

Here's to swinging madly on the pendulum of life.

Page 180 - Aa.

Posting early, as I will be out of the state on a site visit for work all week. Internet, at best, will be hard to come by.

Page 179 - Why can't I fix you?

I finally figured out why I was stuck. Now we'll see if I can get un-stuck.

Page 178 - Where you'd be

What DOES the sound of a slit throat romanize to? "SLRCH" was the best I could come up with, but it still seems lacking somehow...

Page 177 - Aggressive Victim

CLARIFICATION - I AM CHANGING SCHEDULE, NOT GOING ON HIATUS!!

Based on several comments I received, there seems to be some confusion about my last post. Many of you seem to think I'm going on hiatus, which is NOT the case. SoG will never, ever, EVER go on a Hiatus. Scheduled breaks for travel? Yes. An undefined period of "I'm not going to post"? No. I don't care what I have to do. Worst case, I'll post doodles, but I will ALWAYS post SOMETHING.

So, to repeat and clarify, I:

AM posting on Wednesdays
AM posting vote incentives every Wednesday AND Saturday

AM NOT posting on Saturdays
AM NOT going on Hiatus

Is that clear?

Announcement - Going to Weekly

I have an announcement to make - I'm reducing my updating schedule to one page a week. Now, before you blame the OG OCT, Frost has nothing to do with this. When I have solid script to work on for SoG, I can easily produce both. When I'm in a block (which is often, these days) Frost gives me something to work on to at least be doing SOMETHING. The problem is that I'm having trouble GETTING solid script lately.

The issue is that this section is very, very difficult for me to write, as it is very, very personal. I'm basically attempting to take unconscious patterns of my own, bring them into the light, and consciously work them out. Surprise, surprise, these complexes aren't playing nice. I keep writing script that lasts for a few pages. Then I'll draw something and suddenly "feel" it's wrong, but have no idea how to make it right. I have to scrap that page, and sometimes the pages before it, back-track and re-write. I probably could make a small book just out of the pages I've gotten rid of, and that's just for this chapter and the end of last chapter. The best part is, every time I hit one of these wrong pages, I'm usually thrown into a Combo writer/artist's block when it comes to SoG. Not pretty.

So, the way I see it, I have two choices. I can go on a Hiatus until I figure it out, or I can give myself more time between updates. Since I have seen too many comics never come back from a Hiatus, I don't want to take a chance on that route. It is important for me to finish this, for myself as well as for my readers. As such, I've chosen the second option. It will be slower, but I hope that you are willing to be patient with me. This is a difficult time for me.

I will continue to post vote incentives according to the original schedule, so if you don't want to get out of the habit of visiting on specific days, you'll still get a comic for your troubles. It just won't be SoG.

Updates will occur every Wednesday. SoG will resume a twice-a-week schedule once I'm sure I can maintain it. Once again, thank you for your understanding.

Page 176 - Helpless Aggressor

Able to attack everyone, but not to defend herself.

Also, BEHOLD THE EPIC. While you're at it, go give Kagerou some love.

Page 175 - Turn on Me

The world is a scary place, and the only way to stay safe is to be scarier than it. The sad part is, there's a lot of evidence to lend reality to Grey's perception. Many people have attacked or been aggressive toward her. Sincerity, Racy, Generocity. The environments themselves are not welcoming places. Unfortunately, lumping the good in with the bad means that all you have is bad.

And all you can do is to be worse than it is.

On an entirely different subject, I won my Round Two match in the Oberon's Garden Original Character Tournament. I don't know who I'm against yet, but I need to address some plot bunnies first, so I cranked out the first of the plot-bunny-bits and it is now a vote incentive. If you're a little lost as to what's going on, you need to read Sending's entry, located here.... While you're at it, take a look at the rest of 'em. There's some fun people in this OCT, which is being run by GIII. You can find the details on his page. Go on...it's like two comics for the price of one...which is...free...

Page 174 - Abandoned

Two sides to every coin.

Page 173 - Pointless

so tired. sleeping now.

Page 172 - Sex and V...actually, no, just Sex.

What? I don't have to explain myself to you...

I do not shy from showing decapitated heads, but a softcore three-some scene makes me put up a warning. What does that say about me?

No nipples or wangs were exposed in the making of this page, except in the locations where they were filmed.

Page 171 - Charming Conversation

I'm learning guitar. It hurts to type. That is all.

Page 170 - Heaven

I'm not 100% happy with the effect here. I'll have to experiment to get this right in the future.

Page 169 - Title page

I really like how that drawing came out, and I'm pleased it inverted so well.

Page 168 - Party Crasher

So, round two for Frost is finished up. Now I must await the judges verdict. I'll try to post some other things in the mean-time for vote incentives. Probably a lot of photo reference or sketches.

Page 167 - I'm back

Thank you to those who posted on whether or not they wanted a plushie. There seems to be some interest, so I'm going to look into it further to get an idea of how much they would cost to make. Once I have a better idea, I'll probably post a poll to gauge if there's enough people to merit going through with it.

Page 166 - Piece of Heaven

Originally I had Grace looking happy and peaceful. It looked horribly off. So I added the bags under her eyes.

Then it looked creepy.

And SO very RIGHT.

ALSO! ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO OWN A PLUSH DAVID OR BRAND, PLEASE READ!

I've been getting a lot of questions asking if I am planning on selling plush David or Brand dolls. The fact of the matter is, I hadn't given it any thought until people started asking. I've looked into it, and it seems like the minimum order for most places that make custom plushies is 500.

SO, since I do not have the closet space in my apartment for 500 of these things, I need to know if there is interest enough to merit pursuing it further. PLEASE either post here or email me the answers to the following if you are interested:
1) Which character, Brand or David, you'd be willing to buy more. They'd look like they currently do in the comic, which is to say a stuffed wolf or a rag-doll.
2) What price range you'd be willing to pay.

THANKS!

Page 165 - ta-Ta-TUUUUUM!

Annnnnd we're back! Was this what you were expecting? Was it? WAS IT???

...yeah, I had no idea it was coming either.

Still on Break

New vote incentive posted.

Break Time!

See y'all on next Friday, the 17th! I need some time to figure out where my muse intends to take this. I think I've got the right direction now (second attempt...please let there not be a third...or fourth...) so we'll see what happens from here.

It's hard when your conscious mind isn't in charge of the writing...

Page 164 - Together

Ahhhh it's done thank goodness *dies*.

This section was brutal. I probably scrapped over a dozen pages (ie - 6+ weeks worth of update material) because I kept picking directions that my subconscious would eventually inform me was the wrong way by PUTTING ME IN A BLOCK. Over. And over. And over again.

...Yeah. "Frustrating" would be a mild way to describe my current writing process.

As is customary when I finish a Chapter Section, I'm taking the next week off. There will be filler and the vote incentives will continue to be updated as normal. Just no new SoG until the 17th of July.

Page 163 -Of course

Happy Independence Day to my USA readers! Go enjoy some red-white-and-blue desserts on festive plates and witness the spectacle of loud noise-makers exploding in the air whilst celebrating the birth of your nation.

I know I will.

Page 162 - Scared

Asking for help. A first for Grey in the entirety of this comic. All 700+ pages of it.

Page 160 - Where do we go

Sometimes the problem is also a sign for finding the solution.

Page 159 - What do you want?

Sometimes it's the most difficult question to answer.

Page 158 - Martyr trap

I used to have a pretty big tendency to do something akin to this. Make it clear I didn't want to talk to anyone, then storm off, isolate myself, and then get angry that nobody came to comfort me. It's the martyr trap. It takes a lot of energy, is a huge waste of time, and in the end, the only person who can stop the cycle is the one who starts it.

The way I got out was by realizing how tired I was of making myself miserable.

Page 157 - Hollow

I think I've redone this page about three times. I couldn't quite figure out where Grey was, emotionally. She's very difficult to pin down. Attempting to figure her out has been a serious challenge, but I'm encouraged with the direction I finally settled on. Thanks to Khan for being there to struggle through this section with me.

Page 156 - Melt away

...Nghh...been sick for over a week. Getting very tired of being sick. I am very done with it. Blarg.

Page 155 - Hate it when I cry

Little late today, as I was at the beautiful wedding of two of my friends yesterday. I wish them all the best in their future together, and hope they always support one another the way they did in their wedding.

Enjoy your honeymoon, guys. May it be just the precursor to better things.

Page 154 - Let it go

And, inevitably, anger will find a way to turn on its source.

Page 153 - Not good enough

Writing these pages was...tumultuous. I had been in a writer's block and artist's block for months, slowly eating through the buffer I had built up. Then one day, at work, something happened. A few days before, a coworker lent me "The Speed of Light" by Alex Shein. As I listened to it, I kept starting to cry. I didn't have any idea why, but with it came the urge to write and draw. For most of the morning I tried to ignore it, but finally I just decided to take some vacation time and go home. So I did. I packed up, went home, put on the same music, and started to draw and cry. It felt like a big, black bubble of poisoned oil and tar had been welling up in me, and suddenly in that moment it burst. I just drew and drew with tears running down my face for no reason, needing no reason, until I didn't need to anymore. All things told, I blazed through many pages in only a few hours, starting with page 149 and ending here. It was an intense, exhausting, and difficult experience, but in a way it was also a very beautiful experience.

It was a very alive experience.

I've run out of words.

Page 152 - Not afraid, not alone

Some of you may not remember that Brand has healing abilities, which he is using now, and which he used HERE for the first time.

And he's all wolfy...because I can.

Page 151

Ow.

Page 150 - Reminders

I know this pages is slightly confusing, but the next page will make it make sense.

Page 149 - I am glad

I think I've tried three different versions of this page. This section just keeps getting hard and harder to write.

Page 148 - Boom

Dramatic entrance much?

Page 147 - Space Case

I meant to post this last week, but I forgot. THIS is the song that I think of, when I think of Hans. It's one of the songs my Chorus is singing right now and, since I am the Tenor (aka - High Soprano) part I think of it the way I sing it. So there's a recording of me singing it on my own. Since the other four parts aren't there to complete the chords, it can be a little shrill. Sorry about that. I did the best I could. I just thought you might be interesting in knowing what it sounds like in my mind.

Page 146 - Moment of Silence

Page 145 - Final Fantasy

Oh Hans. Hans, Hans, Hans. We have GOT to get somebody for you to talk with, other than yourself. This monologuing isn't healthy. Especially self-abusive monologuing.

Page 144 - Girls just wanna have fu-uuuun

With people via ripping them limb-from-limb.

What, that's a common hobby, right?

Right?

...guys??

Also, next five pages on the vote incentive. I is CRANKIN' yo!

Page 143 - Freely Given

This update brought to you in part by the AWESOME people at the Apple Store. Buy Mac, people, their service is amazing. I can now say this from personal experience.

Also - vote incentive, to reward all ya'all's patience, is five pages of Round One all at once, so I hope you enjoy that.

Working - Sorta

Hey all. I have a working computer again (yay!) but not one that has any of the programs I need installed, the drivers for my tablet, or any other equipment (alas). As such, I will NOT be updating tonight. That said, updates WILL resume this Friday, so please tune in then!

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES!

Khan here.
Due to the spontaneous and spectacular death of Rone's computer, there will be no update tonight. Until the computer is fixed, I will try to entertain you all for the foreseeable future. Hopefully this will blow over quickly, and normal services can be resumed.

Services for the computer will be held at 6:00pm MST, this Sunday. Those wishing to pay their respects may do so, and donations for a new hard drive will be graciously accepted.

-Khan

Page 142 - Free

Does anyone remember the last time Grey used that line? It was rather important...

Page 141 - Stealing my...ability to...make complete...

...sentences.

Stupid dialog.

Rrg.

Page 140 - Paying the Price

I feel like Mrs. Potts in "Beauty and the Beast".

"Ah...he's finally learned to love..."

Page 139 - Sacrifice

I wish I could see your faces. Oh man, how I wish that...I could use a chance to use my evil laugh right about now...

Page 138 - Not doing this for you

Monologues are in Hans' blood. He could talk to himself for hours.

Page 137 - Tch. Please

...WHY Hans? Why did your hand come out so damned big? I try so hard, and this is how you repay me? Gigantic Digits? That's just mean.

Page 136 - Unfinished Business

And y'all thought he was leaving without a fight.

Shame on you.

Hans would give me nightmares for the rest of my life if his last moment in the comic was some sappy "life lesson" crap.

BOOK 2 IS OUT!

After (literally) years of waiting, BOOK TWO IS COMPLETE. An absolutely HUUUGE thank you to Cory, my editor, who is almost ENTIRELY responsible for making this happen. He made the book go from 50% to 100% in the month after he started helping me get this done.

Contest winners! I will get your books and sketches to you ASAP! Please verify your shipping addresses and what you want for your sketch so I don't mail these things to the wrong place! My email is: robinrone [at] gmail.com

Anyone who'd like to order the book: Go to the Print Page for more details!

Page 134 - Not Awake

Something about this page just didn't gel for me. I re-drew this and re-scripted it and re-drew it again, finally produced this page, and I still don't think it did what I wanted it to. Arg.

Now, the Vote Incentive...THAT came out EXACTLY how I wanted it to. I think it's the funniest thing I've ever written. I love over-the-top villains. They make me amused. ((Note - the Dark Lord is NOT my character! He and Srug belong to Corey Williams who is running this OCT! Check it out!

Page 132 - I <3 tree

I've got some exciting news about Volume Two coming up next update, as well as a long-over-due update of the fanart section. I'd put all that in THIS update, but I just got a new job and am lacking in a little thing called SLEEP. SO look forward to that!

In the meantime, enjoy the vote incentive! I've put up two pages at once, since I need to meet the March 31st deadline and I won't make it if I post one page each update. So it's like three comics for one visit and a vote! And you get to see more of my quirky sense of humor. I don't care if nobody else finds it funny. I find it amusing and I'm sticking to what I like.

Page 132 - Nature

Posting a little early, because I won't be around this weekend. Gots ta pick my sistah up at the airport, you see.

I'm pleased with this background, as time consuming as it is to work with.

Page 131 - If I loved you...

"...Off you would go, in the mist of day.
Never, never, to know!
How I loved you!
...If I loved you...
If I loved...you..."

One of my chorus songs gets stuck in my head whenever I listen to this song. Have no idea what the song is? Once you get past the jingle and into the actual song

I'd record myself, but I'm late to said chorus, so youtube will have to do for now.

Page 130 - My Path

I have had this scene planned for...probably about...five years? Maybe more?

...I expected it to be better, but it just doesn't quite meet what I wanted.

Dang it.

Also: Holy cow! Thanks for all the votes on TWC! SoG's jumped...what, 100 spots? It's AWESOME. I have the best readers EVER. Page two of the Audition comic is up on TWC. Yeesh...Frost came out a lot more...scary than I originally envisioned. I mean, I knew it was a bad idea to piss him off, but...well...you'll see.

Page 129 - Where I'm going

Oh Hans. So melodrama.

Page 128 - A shirt?

Sorry for the delay in update. I was visiting a friend last night and got snowed in there! Then I ended up staying there today to help them run a Karate tournament. Interesting, fun, but the bottom line is the update got delayed.

I still love Brand's face.

Page 127 - Great Declaration of -

For the record, I love drawing Brand's face this way. I also love how his face came out in this page. Mmmm...yes. I am pleased.

Page 126 - Bwoomf

Any bets on what Hans is thinking in that second to last panel?

Page 125 - Fine time

I like how Hans' expression turned out in the last panel. It's rare that the inks match what I liked about the pencils.

Page 124 - Just Get on with it

I don't envy Hans his position. Not being able to help someone you care about out because you need to let them do things their own way is really hard. Even harder if you're not entirely sure if they'll succeed.

Originally, Hans was going to be all super emo about this. Then he started ranting in my head, and this page came out instead. That Hans. Always mucking about in my plans.

Page 123 - Wet Awakening

I'm hoping the style change makes this clear, but Brand has just awoken from his dream in the coffin we saw him in earlier. A box which happens to be full of water.

Despite Brand's ability to create Demon Fire, I've always felt his journey was one tied to water. His Meta-form first manifested in association to water. The release of his emotions in his journey was also tied to water. So it seemed only appropriate that the final part of his journey be associated with water as well.

Page 122 - Heart

...
I don't really have anything to say on this page. I think it kinda says all it needs to by itself.

Page 121 - You're sick

I own this voice. I know the sound of it, and the texture of it, because I can't recall not hearing it. That critical, insidious, oozing black goo of just...wrongness. I've learned, over the years, that this voice is not actually right. It is not a lingering truth, or a buried secret. I don't know what it is, but I know that it's wrong.

That said, I still look forward to the day when I can deal with it as effortlessly as Brand does.

Strange, to have a character surpass his creator.

Page 120 - Responsibility

I like the warm and cool contrasts between these two in the top panel. Brand coming into his spiritual own is pretty awesome too. Man...such a long, angst-ridden road to get here...

Totally worth it.

Page 119 - Can you face these?

For some reason, a lot of these dream-like portions take on a more mythic/fairy tale rhythm, especially Brand's. I felt the repetition of "I am taking it back" added to this feel.

Page 118 - Taking it back

Originally, I wasn't going to have Beast make a reappearance. Then I realized something: What about Brand's heart? I had such a dramatic series of events for him to lose it (one of the darkest moments in this whole comic, for me) that it seemed incomplete to not return to that act. I started thinking about how he could get it back. Could Hans give him a new one? No, Hans isn't capable of giving a gift of that nature without strings yet (he's trying, poor thing, but he's not ready...) so that option was out. Could David give it to him? Why? That doesn't even make sense. And Grey is right out of the question...

Hey, wait...Beast took Brand's heart...so...Brand should face Beast. Then he could reclaim his heart!

Once I actually put them together, I realized there was a lot more that Brand needed to reclaim. Id is the first. What are the others? Next update, my friends...

Page 117

Little later than usual. Busy night yesterday.

Page 116 - Reclaim it

OMG Brand, you have become such a bad ass. I'm so proud...

Page 115 - Waiting and Rescuing

I've thought about this a lot. Help isn't help if you do it because you don't trust someone else to succeed. If someone asks you, that's one thing, but rescuing someone is only necessary if you think they're too weak to help themselves. OR not able to do things the way YOU would want to do them. Sometimes people really are in need of a hand-up and won't ask for it. It's hard to say that nobody should step in at those times. However, if that person really is strong enough to succeed on there own, it's almost a disservice to them if a rescue attempt is made. It prevents them from achieving something on their own terms.

Bah. I'm not saying it very well, but it's important. At least, in my experience. It was a hard lesson to learn.

Listen to "I'm Standing in the Way" in the Buffy Musical "Once More, with Feeling." He says it much better than me. In song!

Page 114 - Idiot

Ahaha! I love how this page turned out. It says so much about how Hans thinks of himself and Brand.

Also, I never realized how messed up fairy tales are until I made this page. "Hello unconscious person! I will now kiss you without your consent! Why? Because I just know you're my twuu luuuv!"

...Then she wakes up and beats him within an inch of his life.

Oh wait, wrong story. My bad.

What they ACTUALLY do is get married, because everybody knows a person who does things to you in your sleep is trustworthy. Especially if they have lots and lots of money. An a castle.

...

Guh.