Status Update

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paarfi
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Status Update

Post by paarfi » Fri May 27, 2022 8:07 am

It's been two months since the last MT comic, so just an update on what's been going on.

As some of you know, Fred is now driving a bus fulltime. That has given them health insurance (a very big deal for them), as well as being a big help financially. Sarah got laid off when the pandemic hit and hasn't been able to find a decent job since, so that's been extra important.

Fred's job is seasonal, so he gets laid off for a couple of months over the summer. On the one hand, that means he'll soon have an opportunity to devote more time to MT things, and he has big plans there: getting book 7 ready, finally taking care of the shipping backlog from the store, and getting more MT comics out. On the other hand, that's months where they won't have the bus job income, so Fred has been working a lot of overtime to try to build up reserves to see them through

That overtime is part of why there hasn't been a lot of progress on comics lately. The other part is that Fred has been struggling some, even when he gets time to comic. I'm hoping the mental side will improve once he has more time to comic, but we'll have to see.

To some extent, this is the reality of things with MT now. He tried for years to make it work as his primary occupation, and then he tried with driving a bus part-time. But there's a family to support and bills to pay, and even with the generous support of folks via the Patreon and such, it wasn't enough.

They're in a better place now financially, which I think we can all appreciate. But that also means that MT is now more a hobby for him than a job. As much as he tries to do it all, there just isn't as much time to go around.

So hopefully we'll see comics pick up soon for a couple months at least. And hopefully he'll be able to address the shipping backlog and book 7. He says he's determined to keep doing MT, but I think we all have to adjust to the fact that we're just going to get less of it.
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Re: Status Update

Post by Fujii Yakumo » Fri May 27, 2022 8:22 pm

Thanks for the update, Paarfi.

Yes, the comic is "free ice cream" (and it's very good ice cream), so we can't complain if the deliveries are late.

Let's wish Fred and his family well. They've got a lot on their plates.
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Re: Status Update

Post by paarfi » Wed Jun 15, 2022 7:56 am

New Update:
Apparently, Fred is not getting laid off for a couple months this summer, I assume due to a shortage of drivers. That means he won't have that extra time to work on MT things that we had hoped for. Good for their financial well-being, but not so good for MegaTokyo.

He has the drawings done and scanned for the next comic, but he still needs to clean them up, assemble, and add the dialogue, He's struggling to find the time to do that or a number of other things he thinks important. He's pretty upset about that.
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Re: Status Update

Post by mistersaxon » Fri Jun 17, 2022 5:02 am

Prices rising faster than my wildest dreams of pay rises here in the UK because we were stupid enough to leave the EU* plus that whole "Russia invading Europe" thing and some sort of bug going round so Fred has my sympathy - family has to come first - but I gotta say the Patreon "patrons" would disagree that it's "free ice cream". That income stream does mean that MT ought to be regarded as somewhat more than a hobby, so Fred's ongoing commitment to the story is good to hear and I (for one) sincerely wish him success in his endeavours to find the time and creative juice to progress it (and the TTDP strip which is interesting but secondary).

(*personal opinion, which I believe I am still allowed to have for now)
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