We’re five years old! I’m abandoning you now! Bye-bye!
Okay, obviously I’m not. I can’t promise you I won’t ever, but it’s my intention to keep working on Tin Soldier for at least the next year. The regular updates that push the plot forward are going to stop for a while, and a rerun with editing and improved illustrations will be available at Pillowfort and DeviantArt — and here, but more quietly. There will also be some extras, as a temptation for old readers to hang on and be patient with me.
I’m essentially a one-person operation right now. Audience issues aside, I don’t have time to keep up with my schedule and do all the stuff I want/need to do. To finish the illustrations alone, if I want to be done in a year, I need to do three of those a week. As of writing this, I have an issue with my shoulder which has been causing me pain for four months and making it difficult for me to type and draw. I probably need to take a break for a while and let that sucker rest. If I want to be back in a year with more story, I will be going like a bat out of hell for most of my “break,” and even then I might need more time.
So I’m not abandoning you. But I have to drop some things for a while and I don’t know when I’ll be back. Or if. I have a lot of health stuff going on, I’m not gonna guarantee you something mental or physical won’t go kerflooey and stop me from doing what I want to do; it has happened before.
There are also various technological issues that need fixing. Stuff on this site is broken right now and more things will break. Forever. My ability to fix these things is often limited by circumstances beyond my control, as well as my own incompetence. If I ever get Tin Soldier to the point where I can make server issues and coding somebody else’s problem, I will do that so fast it’ll make your head spin. In the meantime, even though I’m trying to keep an eye on this place and keep it functional, it may not be accessible or working in the future. You can get hold of me at tinsoldier.space@gmail.com with any issues, and I will try to address them eventually.
If you have come to this frustrating message because you like what I’m doing, and now you have to deal with there being no more story for a year or more, I am sorry. I hope you’re not too mad or too shy to leave me a message here or somewhere and let me know you like this stuff. Please. I need your help to stay motivated and strong, otherwise I won’t. I do want to give you more story, but what’s free for you to read isn’t free for me to create. It costs time, effort and materials. Please help me balance my books by telling me if what I’m doing is worth something.
If you’re able to support me at the Patreon, or by advertising/advocating for me, that’s great! Please hit up the Support page and see if I’ve produced any updates to make that a little easier. And the store may or may not be working when you check it out, but there’s stuff in it!
I suppose, after five years, I should use some of this space to reflect and comment on my work. But, given the need for extras, I’m going to be doing that a lot. Let me just say it’s been hard, it’s been fun, and it’s been surreal. I hope I’ve given you something you needed.
Be well, and I’ll be around.