Other artist: *no draws in 7 months* I guess I’m in a bit of a slump.

Me: *no draws in ten days* AAAH ART BLOCK NEED TO DRAW SOMETHING NOW!

So I’ve been playing Overwatch for a few weeks now and I haven’t gotten an overwhelming need to draw any of the characters. Is there something wrong with me?

First off, I want to thank everyone who has supported me over the years. You have all been wonderful and you make me happy to be an artist and eager to start new projects. But as of 2017, Linda Wright and the Wriggling Jungle Part 1 and 2 will be five years old. It’s been pirated on more sites than I can keep track of and at the end of the day, I’d rather people see it from the legitimate source instead of going to sleasy sites riddled with viruses. That’s why on January 1st, I’ll be releasing the comic in full to the public. Call it a New Years present from little old me. Thank you all again for your support and I look forward to starting my next comic soon.

-TB

Today is the day we load the truck. All that packing and now we have to lift all the heavies up a ramp, engage in some tetris-level organizational skills, try to sleep it off on a pull-out couch, then drive it all seven hours away only to have to lift all that heavy stuff again down a ramp and up the stairs. Great times for me. Just let it be over…

Art supplies are packed, tablets are packed, computer remains online but I’ll be taking that down this weekend. Chances of art from me are pretty slim right now as my only remaining medium is my phone. But don’t worry, I should be settling into my new hone in Vegas around Christmas!

SO, move is absolutely happening now. We got a house, I got a job, we even got the plane tickets. Now I fully expect to spend the next three weeks alternating between ‘trying to keep it all in’, 'complete meltdown’ and 'emotionally exhausted’. For the record, I’m currently in the final category.

It was sixteen years ago… sixteen years since I first played Final Fantasy IX. The deep characters, bold style, whimsical yet dramatic universe; it quickly became my favorite JRPG of all time. But for all the love I had for the game, I never actually beat it. After four complete play-throughs, the final boss always proved too difficult. The game always ended with the known universe destroyed, the crystal of all life gone and their memories forgotten. I never got closure.

Until tonight. Nearly twice my age from my first attempt, I defeated Necron and for the first time ever, I saw the true ending. I saw a world saved, I saw a petty thief find love and meaning, I saw a villain find forgiveness, I saw their memories live on. I cried. I felt an emptiness that had always lingered lift from my shoulders. And perhaps the most important thing I brought away from it all is this:

We all find ourselves in our stories. These books, these shows, these games, they are all art and it’s that art that shapes us. I don’t often think about how these characters influenced my teenage self but I honestly do not believe that I would be the same person without them. So to those who create art, who tell stories, we thank you. We are the lovers, the believers, the hopeful and the desperate and we thank you.