Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

IrwinFletcher
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Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by IrwinFletcher » Wed May 29, 2019 12:05 pm

In honor of the one-year anniversary of Fred's last blog post on the front page

On March 27th, Paarfi wrote:
His mother's dementia has grown worse, as has his father's Parkinson's, and his father-in-law had medical problems late last year that have now left him struggling to walk. Fred and Sarah spend a good amount of time driving them to doctors and providing the care that the disabled elderly need. Fred's immediate family continues to have serious medical problems of their own that are expensive: with time, with the cost of health insurance, and with the high costs of what insurance doesn't cover. Sarah works fulltime, Fred has had to take a part-time job in addition to the comic, and they still struggle to pay the medical and regular bills every month. This not only takes extra time for his part-time job, but it also forces him to spend days drawing artwork for sale when things are really tight, as happened over the last few days with the Ashe drawing. And that time is time not spent doing other things, like the vn.


Okay, if things are genuinely that bad, than Fred should probably consider putting MegaTokyo on long-term hiatus and returning full-time to the world of corporate graphic design.

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by paarfi » Wed May 29, 2019 12:42 pm

IrwinFletcher wrote:
Wed May 29, 2019 12:05 pm
Okay, if things are genuinely that bad, than Fred should probably consider putting MegaTokyo on long-term hiatus and returning full-time to the world of corporate graphic design.
Fred never really did corporate graphic design as far as I know. He was an architect before going full-time with the comic. But he's been long enough out of the architecture business that he's convinced that door is long closed to him. As far as doing graphic design, Fred often talks about how he's not a "real" artist, and that he struggles to do things outside of his particular characters and niche, which may make graphic design difficult. Sometimes there just is no good solution. He's doing his best; he hasn't given up; and someday, hopefully things will improve.
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Skulkraken » Thu May 30, 2019 12:59 pm

Is going back into architecture really that far out of reach for him? Shouldn't he have friends or colleagues still active in the field who'd be able to vouch for him based on his past work? I'm kind of confused on why Fred is so convinced that he can't do it anymore.

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by paarfi » Thu May 30, 2019 2:46 pm

Skulkraken wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 12:59 pm
Is going back into architecture really that far out of reach for him? Shouldn't he have friends or colleagues still active in the field who'd be able to vouch for him based on his past work? I'm kind of confused on why Fred is so convinced that he can't do it anymore.
This suggestion has been made to him a good number of times, and he's firm and consistent with his feeling that he's been out of it for too long and it's not a realistic option. Certainly CAD systems have changed dramatically since then, if nothing else. He knows the business and his capabilities, and I don't think it's unreasonable to trust his judgement on this.
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Concerned_user » Thu May 30, 2019 3:23 pm

Why would anyone admit that they could go back to a regular 40-44 hour work week at a mundane full time job, when they can draw 2-4 pages of a comic a month and have total freedom from accountability? In a real job you can't keep living off excuses and personal reasons.

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by paarfi » Thu May 30, 2019 3:32 pm

He's doing the best he can. I'm sorry that's not good enough to please you.
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Skulkraken » Thu May 30, 2019 6:11 pm

paarfi wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 2:46 pm
This suggestion has been made to him a good number of times, and he's firm and consistent with his feeling that he's been out of it for too long and it's not a realistic option. Certainly CAD systems have changed dramatically since then, if nothing else. He knows the business and his capabilities, and I don't think it's unreasonable to trust his judgement on this.
Sure, the tools used in the trade might have changed, but is that really so insurmountable? How would it be any different than if the art tools Fred uses to make the comic were to have a revision or patch released that substantially changes things? If asked, would he be able to actually say *in what way* the field of architecture has changed that made him feel that way about returning? As in, specific things that he might be able to take action on or seek help with?

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Concerned_user » Thu May 30, 2019 7:10 pm

Skulkraken wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 6:11 pm
paarfi wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 2:46 pm
This suggestion has been made to him a good number of times, and he's firm and consistent with his feeling that he's been out of it for too long and it's not a realistic option. Certainly CAD systems have changed dramatically since then, if nothing else. He knows the business and his capabilities, and I don't think it's unreasonable to trust his judgement on this.
Sure, the tools used in the trade might have changed, but is that really so insurmountable? How would it be any different than if the art tools Fred uses to make the comic were to have a revision or patch released that substantially changes things? If asked, would he be able to actually say *in what way* the field of architecture has changed that made him feel that way about returning? As in, specific things that he might be able to take action on or seek help with?
I wouldn't bother continuing to wonder about it. There is no point leaving a fairly lucrative job where you work from home, make your own hours, do as much or as little as you see fit, answer to nobody but a select die hard fans who won't ever leave you, in favor of working a regular job. Megatokyo will run for the next 20 years in part because of this fact.

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Concerned_user » Thu May 30, 2019 9:44 pm

Concerned_user wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 7:10 pm
Skulkraken wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 6:11 pm
paarfi wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 2:46 pm
This suggestion has been made to him a good number of times, and he's firm and consistent with his feeling that he's been out of it for too long and it's not a realistic option. Certainly CAD systems have changed dramatically since then, if nothing else. He knows the business and his capabilities, and I don't think it's unreasonable to trust his judgement on this.
Sure, the tools used in the trade might have changed, but is that really so insurmountable? How would it be any different than if the art tools Fred uses to make the comic were to have a revision or patch released that substantially changes things? If asked, would he be able to actually say *in what way* the field of architecture has changed that made him feel that way about returning? As in, specific things that he might be able to take action on or seek help with?
I wouldn't bother continuing to wonder about it. There is no point leaving a fairly lucrative job where you work from home, make your own hours, do as much or as little as you see fit, answer to nobody but a select few die hard fans who won't ever leave you, in favor of working a regular job. Megatokyo will run for the next 20 years in part because of this.

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Murren » Tue Jun 11, 2019 2:44 pm

Skulkraken wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 6:11 pm
paarfi wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 2:46 pm
This suggestion has been made to him a good number of times, and he's firm and consistent with his feeling that he's been out of it for too long and it's not a realistic option. Certainly CAD systems have changed dramatically since then, if nothing else. He knows the business and his capabilities, and I don't think it's unreasonable to trust his judgement on this.
Sure, the tools used in the trade might have changed, but is that really so insurmountable? How would it be any different than if the art tools Fred uses to make the comic were to have a revision or patch released that substantially changes things? If asked, would he be able to actually say *in what way* the field of architecture has changed that made him feel that way about returning? As in, specific things that he might be able to take action on or seek help with?
There are some interesting considerations I thought of. At my job, where I work as a drafter (drawing architectural plans), I could see how someone could feel that there is less opportunity for them if they have not kept up with some of the changes. I don't really know that much about it, but I can think of 2 possible reasons: 1) Changes in building code. Apparently when my brother was in school for architecture (which was around 2006), there was only 1 binder for building code. Now there are like 8 huge binders. Here in California at least. It's unbelievable how much there is to consider with building code. So I can see how not keeping up with those changes could seem like a significant disadvantage. (Now, with that said, we have 2 architects at our office, and one of them doesn't do anything but design the outside appearance of the buildings, draw pictures of them by hand, and sometimes present them to the city. He doesn't really use CAD. He doesn't lay out the inside of the buildings, and to be honest, we don't have to stay strict to his drawing either, so if he drew some windows that weren't to code (which he doesn't do), we would just change it. (Oh, and for some reason, this architect refuses to stamp our drawings, so we have to have another architect to stamp our drawings). We have another architect at our office, who basically works as both an architect and a drafter. He uses CAD a lot. We have a lot of buildings, so he designs some of them too, and often draws elevations in AutoCAD. However, I am not sure if these situations are typical for an architect. I think the first architect I mentioned formerly came from a job where he had a lot more power over designing the whole building, and I think he does have a good deal of knowledge about building code. At our office, it's more of an assembly line setup, so each person essentially only does a few specific things. This may be atypical for the field, I don't know.)

2) Changes in CAD (computer-assisted? drafting) programs. I mean, my office still exclusively uses AutoCAD, (which some people consider to be archaic), but with newer programs like Revit, and (ArchiCAD?), (and SketchUp), and... well, there are countless others, but those are the only ones I actually know. But I can see how not knowing those programs could seem like a major handicap.

And perhaps there are other reasons as well. I am sure Fred knows a lot more about the field than I do.
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Rapierman » Thu Jun 13, 2019 7:37 pm

I once thought about being a programmer, back in the 1980s. I even took programming classes in high school and at this technical school. I would have loved to have attended the University of Texas and major in computer programming.

Alas, I could not do that due to finances, and I didn't have a job nor was I able to get one to support that effort. I ended up working for Uncle Sam, but not in the field that I wanted. Ever since the 80s, my skills have deteriorated to the point that they're probably useless, and the world has moved well forward of what I learned. My chances are nil at this point.

I imagine Fred's in the same predicament, so to expect him to just pick up the pencil and go at it again is really asking too much.
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Murren » Wed Jun 19, 2019 8:47 pm

Being somewhat relevant to this topic, I wanted to post my thoughts on a particular issue. It was just something I was thinking about (and is related to a comment made earlier in this thread) so I wanted to write my thoughts on the issue.

In regard to the support (financial and otherwise) Fred is getting and has gotten from fans (and from customers/clients), I think there are three separate areas which all are, in my opinion, separate. I will list them in order of severity, from least severe to most severe.

1) The comic.

2) Megagear Store orders.

3) The visual novel.

I personally just started supporting Fred on Patreon a few months ago. I did not back the visual novel (I have never played visual novels), and I have not bought anything from the Megagear store.

In regard to the money raised for the visual novel, and the situation of that, backers very very much have grounds to be angry about what happened there. I was just browsing these forums, and kind of got "caught up" on what's going on there. Anyone who backed that has very much justification to be upset about it.

In regard to Megagear orders, I think people do have some justification to be upset, given what I have heard to be a large backlog of orders that have not yet been shipped, for a long time. In my opinion, it's not as severe as the Visual Novel situation according to the knowledge I have, but still decent grounds for being upset to a certain degree.

But in regard to the comic, and in regard to the comment about "die-hard" fans who are supposedly blinded or scammed because of their willing support, I do not think we Patreon supporters of the Megatokyo comic are in any way out of line to be happily supporting in the way we do. Personally, I'm only giving a quite small amount. I imagine most of the other Patreon supporters share the following characteristics with me:
I love the webcomic Megatokyo, and want to see it continue to have pretty regular updates, and I am very glad to see a way in which we can directly support the comic now instead of having to buy prints which would in turn halt the comic. After a few years (before Patreon support was introduced) in which we sometimes would go a few months without a new comic, I personally am VERY glad to see updates on a more frequent basis than before. And, in knowing about Fred's situation, I personally have a good deal of compassion, especially having gone through a family health crisis just last year - and again, backers of the visual novel have VERY much justification to be very upset - but as someone who was not personally affected by the visual novel situation, I am lucky in that regard, so I am not affected by that. But those who are in the same situation as me - that is, those who support the comic through Patreon (and did not back the visual novel) are, in my opinion, not in any way out of line to be willingly supporting Fred and the Megatokyo comic through Patreon support. It's not a big pain to my wallet at all, and I am happy to support the comic and to support Fred in this difficult time. Again - backers of the visual novel have gotten very unfortunate results - but those who didn't back it, are in a completely different situation, so, in my opinion, we (that is, I and anyone else in the same situation as me) are not doing anything irrational or out of line by choosing to support in the way we do.

I guess most people here probably already agree with me on this. I just wanted to post my thoughts.
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Concerned_user » Thu Jun 20, 2019 1:44 am

Murren wrote:
Wed Jun 19, 2019 8:47 pm
Being somewhat relevant to this topic, I wanted to post my thoughts on a particular issue. It was just something I was thinking about (and is related to a comment made earlier in this thread) so I wanted to write my thoughts on the issue.

In regard to the support (financial and otherwise) Fred is getting and has gotten from fans (and from customers/clients), I think there are three separate areas which all are, in my opinion, separate. I will list them in order of severity, from least severe to most severe.

1) The comic.

2) Megagear Store orders.

3) The visual novel.

I personally just started supporting Fred on Patreon a few months ago. I did not back the visual novel (I have never played visual novels), and I have not bought anything from the Megagear store.

In regard to the money raised for the visual novel, and the situation of that, backers very very much have grounds to be angry about what happened there. I was just browsing these forums, and kind of got "caught up" on what's going on there. Anyone who backed that has very much justification to be upset about it.

In regard to Megagear orders, I think people do have some justification to be upset, given what I have heard to be a large backlog of orders that have not yet been shipped, for a long time. In my opinion, it's not as severe as the Visual Novel situation according to the knowledge I have, but still decent grounds for being upset to a certain degree.

But in regard to the comic, and in regard to the comment about "die-hard" fans who are supposedly blinded or scammed because of their willing support, I do not think we Patreon supporters of the Megatokyo comic are in any way out of line to be happily supporting in the way we do. Personally, I'm only giving a quite small amount. I imagine most of the other Patreon supporters share the following characteristics with me:
I love the webcomic Megatokyo, and want to see it continue to have pretty regular updates, and I am very glad to see a way in which we can directly support the comic now instead of having to buy prints which would in turn halt the comic. After a few years (before Patreon support was introduced) in which we sometimes would go a few months without a new comic, I personally am VERY glad to see updates on a more frequent basis than before. And, in knowing about Fred's situation, I personally have a good deal of compassion, especially having gone through a family health crisis just last year - and again, backers of the visual novel have VERY much justification to be very upset - but as someone who was not personally affected by the visual novel situation, I am lucky in that regard, so I am not affected by that. But those who are in the same situation as me - that is, those who support the comic through Patreon (and did not back the visual novel) are, in my opinion, not in any way out of line to be willingly supporting Fred and the Megatokyo comic through Patreon support. It's not a big pain to my wallet at all, and I am happy to support the comic and to support Fred in this difficult time. Again - backers of the visual novel have gotten very unfortunate results - but those who didn't back it, are in a completely different situation, so, in my opinion, we (that is, I and anyone else in the same situation as me) are not doing anything irrational or out of line by choosing to support in the way we do.

I guess most people here probably already agree with me on this. I just wanted to post my thoughts.
I don't think anyone disagrees with what you said as you surmised, its just how the patreon says at 2000 bucks per month support he will give 4 comics per month, which is again misleading. It is a bad trend of saying give me X amount and I will give you Y results, when Y will always be less than advertised. Its not tough to stop this bad behavior either. You say 2000 bucks will give you 2-3 comics knowing its the most realistically sustainable.
Also saying people have a right to be angry about purchasing from a "store" giving money and getting nothing in return is rather obvious. Any business that operated like that would be shut down and should be. Small or large. So that combined with the VN and the patreon point I made, adds up to people being taken advantage of over someone elses life struggles.

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by paarfi » Thu Jun 20, 2019 7:28 am

Concerned_user wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 1:44 am
I don't think anyone disagrees with what you said as you surmised, its just how the patreon says at 2000 bucks per month support he will give 4 comics per month, which is again misleading.
Doing 4 comics a month is Fred's intention and his goal, not a guarantee. He is trying his best to meet that, and hopefully he can start doing that more regularly. People who give to Fred's Patreon understand this. They are supporting his efforts to achieve those goals. Even if he falls short more often than not, that support enables him to put out more comics than he otherwise would, and that makes supporting him worthwhile.

I assume from your repeated posts here that you do not support Fred on Patreon, and that's perfectly fine. But many of us value Megatokyo and think it worth supporting, even if Fred's aspirations often exceed his ability to deliver.
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Concerned_user » Fri Jun 28, 2019 2:44 am

paarfi wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 7:28 am
Concerned_user wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 1:44 am
I don't think anyone disagrees with what you said as you surmised, its just how the patreon says at 2000 bucks per month support he will give 4 comics per month, which is again misleading.
Doing 4 comics a month is Fred's intention and his goal, not a guarantee. He is trying his best to meet that, and hopefully he can start doing that more regularly. People who give to Fred's Patreon understand this. They are supporting his efforts to achieve those goals. Even if he falls short more often than not, that support enables him to put out more comics than he otherwise would, and that makes supporting him worthwhile.

I assume from your repeated posts here that you do not support Fred on Patreon, and that's perfectly fine. But many of us value Megatokyo and think it worth supporting, even if Fred's aspirations often exceed his ability to deliver.
The language he uses is misleading as it simply says "I WILL replace two pencil and color illustrations I am currently doing per month with two Megatokyo comics to produce a minimum of four Megatokyo comics per month"
Will being the key word. The way people choose to communicate matters. Especially now, more than ever when it comes to him and his work. If he always fails to deliver, and hasn't learned to not oversell things and over promise then it feels more like a dishonest habit than anything else.

His Patreon says he will. Not maybe, not I hope etc.

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by IrwinFletcher » Tue Jul 02, 2019 4:23 am

I do sympathize with Fred. Putting my own parents into a nursing home was one of the most difficult decisions I ever had to make, but at the same time I knew that I was unable to provide for them or care for them, and they were better off in the nursing home where they received round the clock care and had all their medical needs looked after.


--------------------------------
It really is fascinating to look at how much the world of webcomics has changed in the almost 19 years since MegaTokyo first launched: we've gone from an economic model where you made most of your money selling t-shirts and TPBs or your webcomic to the world of Patreon.


I remember seeing dozens of people wearing "capture the b34r" shirts at MegaCon 2003, but now t-shirts are a side luxury, rather than the "main course" of a webcomic artist's income.

Most webcomics are drawn digitally now, and you always have to be on social media promoting your comics.

The old "adapt or die" adage.

For every success of a Jeph Jacques or Phil Foglio or (ugh) Scott Kurtz, there is a Cory Thomas (creator of "Watch Your Head" who ended up abandoning comics entirely and launching a design studio after his move from newspaper comics to the web backfired and he only made $200 a month on Patreon) or Scott Ramsoomair ("VG Cats" creator who abandoned webcomics for Patreon porn comics, but then abandoned that and now does straight porn commissions on Twitter).

And then there's "Sonichu" creator Chris Chandler.

-------------------------

Would moving to a digital format years ago have helped Fred and enabled him to continue to pump out 8-10 new comics a month like he did years ago?

Probably not, given his family issues.

But in closing I leave you with a quote from Meghan Hetrick, artist on Vertigo's "Red Thorn," in reference to Renae De Liz and husband Ray Dillon, who owe dozens of commissions, custom trading card drawings, and graphic novel orders to fans due to Renae having two very difficult pregnancies which made it difficult for her to draw:

"All that to say, i get it. I get the emergency moments, and the panic, and the WTF AM I GOING TO DO?!? that goes through your head. But there comes a point when you really do need to just get shi* done, and honor your prior commitments."

https://www.comicsbeat.com/renae-deliz- ... ublishers/


Oh, and 14 more days to the two year anniversary of "Even Moar Largos"

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by cidjen » Wed Jul 10, 2019 6:43 am

(this is not a jab at anyone in particular - please understand - english is not my first language [and my self-imposed 'job' translating into .pl is partly motivated by the desire to not lose my Polish skills whatever they still are] so there still are some intents i have trouble catching or conveying properly).

(also: I am not Fred, I don't sit in his chair or in his head or even personally know him or any of his friends. I write this from mine and only my perspective, there was no hints or nudges from anyone to make me write this; heck I don't even know if this gonna be any good or helpful ; because anything can be interpreted by anyone, any way they want, and that is out of my control.)

I sort of think, people getting down to down-right criticize Fred for everything he ever failed to do, have just failed to research the matter properly.

(This, by the way has nothing to do with being a 'true fan' or not; i'm not even going to go there.)

Let's get one other thing out of the way too: I understand that for a lot of those complaining, there is money involved, for some it's substantial sums too. I feel your pain and anxiety, guys. If i was in your place I'd probably be royally pissed and angry too, with a cause, the right to be angry, rant and holler and heckle and raise hell.

But all that anger looks like is clouding your judgement and holding back your research skills... This forum is populated mostly by (die hard) fans and friends (best friends) of Fred. Of course, we are aware of Fred's flaws here. But we chose to stay because we like his art and the story. And we like it so much that some of us are choosing to still sprinkle him with money. I am sure there are kickstarter supporters among us too. Or like me, do something that *I* think is or may be some day useful. Unbelivable, right?

I too was surprised a few weeks ago, having discovered, that on top of his and his fam health and well-being issues we all know, Fred was driving a school bus during the school year, which isn't exactly a stress-free and responsibility-free job. The low pace of page releases is (and was) certainly an annoyance. But it is more understandable now. I was slightly more surprised, to realize that this info has not been posted on this forum either, by whoever was in the know.

(on that note, you know, a few days after school year ended, Fred went from sketches to full comic in under (I think) 12 hours, if not within a single sitting 8h stream.)

I too can not watch every Twitch stream. I don't live in the same timezone to start with. The low pace of drawing is certainly dragging out on the patience. Then, there are annoyng chat sods like me, who'd talk about their own issues without many restraints. But you know, Twitch has the fast-playback and time skip features, that *actually* sync with the chat beside the video window. It is, they are, very, very useful...

I won't say here, what Fred said recently on the Twitch chat, about what he's up to, what he feels about all that happened and stuff. I am not qualified or willing to be his spin doctor or spokesman.
I just think, you people should go and see it with your own eyes, before you start venting. Then you'll be free to make any judgement of that, as you want.
Not asking you to calm down or not vent, just go and get *properly* informed of the situation yourselves. Feel free to write your own take on that too.

For anything that comes out of re-watching the Twitch chat and streams, you're welcome to post to the WiP Megathread.
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--------
Translation to polish
and where it happens when I have time to stream

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Concerned_user » Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:51 pm

cidjen wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 6:43 am
(this is not a jab at anyone in particular - please understand - english is not my first language [and my self-imposed 'job' translating into .pl is partly motivated by the desire to not lose my Polish skills whatever they still are] so there still are some intents i have trouble catching or conveying properly).

(also: I am not Fred, I don't sit in his chair or in his head or even personally know him or any of his friends. I write this from mine and only my perspective, there was no hints or nudges from anyone to make me write this; heck I don't even know if this gonna be any good or helpful ; because anything can be interpreted by anyone, any way they want, and that is out of my control.)

I sort of think, people getting down to down-right criticize Fred for everything he ever failed to do, have just failed to research the matter properly.

(This, by the way has nothing to do with being a 'true fan' or not; i'm not even going to go there.)

Let's get one other thing out of the way too: I understand that for a lot of those complaining, there is money involved, for some it's substantial sums too. I feel your pain and anxiety, guys. If i was in your place I'd probably be royally pissed and angry too, with a cause, the right to be angry, rant and holler and heckle and raise hell.

But all that anger looks like is clouding your judgement and holding back your research skills... This forum is populated mostly by (die hard) fans and friends (best friends) of Fred. Of course, we are aware of Fred's flaws here. But we chose to stay because we like his art and the story. And we like it so much that some of us are choosing to still sprinkle him with money. I am sure there are kickstarter supporters among us too. Or like me, do something that *I* think is or may be some day useful. Unbelivable, right?

I too was surprised a few weeks ago, having discovered, that on top of his and his fam health and well-being issues we all know, Fred was driving a school bus during the school year, which isn't exactly a stress-free and responsibility-free job. The low pace of page releases is (and was) certainly an annoyance. But it is more understandable now. I was slightly more surprised, to realize that this info has not been posted on this forum either, by whoever was in the know.

(on that note, you know, a few days after school year ended, Fred went from sketches to full comic in under (I think) 12 hours, if not within a single sitting 8h stream.)

I too can not watch every Twitch stream. I don't live in the same timezone to start with. The low pace of drawing is certainly dragging out on the patience. Then, there are annoyng chat sods like me, who'd talk about their own issues without many restraints. But you know, Twitch has the fast-playback and time skip features, that *actually* sync with the chat beside the video window. It is, they are, very, very useful...

I won't say here, what Fred said recently on the Twitch chat, about what he's up to, what he feels about all that happened and stuff. I am not qualified or willing to be his spin doctor or spokesman.
I just think, you people should go and see it with your own eyes, before you start venting. Then you'll be free to make any judgement of that, as you want.
Not asking you to calm down or not vent, just go and get *properly* informed of the situation yourselves. Feel free to write your own take on that too.

For anything that comes out of re-watching the Twitch chat and streams, you're welcome to post to the WiP Megathread.
I am of the same mind that there shouldn't be hate or mud slinging towards Fred for shortcomings and undelivered promises, but for me its about being a responsible business owner/operator and being honest and transparent. The fact is, no matter the personal problems, Fred continues to earn a lot of money for very little work in regards to what his actual career is. This is undeniable and the facts display this by his output of comic content and art (not mentioning failed VN). This is made worse by the language used in places like patreon where he states he WILL deliver at least 4 pages of comic per month for at least 2k a month, which he never does. The pattern here is he always seems to say he will deliver something when he knows he can't. This wouldn't matter if there were not money involved. When money is involved it is a dishonest practice on the subconscious or conscious level.
He should really explain that fans of MT are supporting him and his family and he will give whatever he can in return at his own pace, be it little or a lot.
People who have to chase him down for refunds for the VN or from his store are disrespected fans who feel forgotten because those closest to Fred or die hard fans here won't ever give the hard truths or help course correct.
He has always gone on and on about his artwork sucking etc, meanwhile he values his artwork in store for hundreds of dollars and has achieved more than most comic artists could dream of.
Many disappointed older fans like me want and hope for some accountability and positive change. It really looks like the fanbase of his work has been taken advantage of over the years and it doesn't look like things will change for the better any time soon. Life doesn't get easier for anyone as time goes on.

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darrin
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by darrin » Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:47 pm

Concerned_user wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:51 pm
very little work
Bullshit.
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cidjen
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by cidjen » Wed Jul 10, 2019 6:31 pm

Concerned_user wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:51 pm
The pattern here is he always seems to say he will deliver something when he knows he can't.
See this is what I meant. You've failed the homework research right here.
Concerned_user wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:51 pm
hope for some accountability and positive change
Long before this part, where you might have a point.
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--------
Translation to polish
and where it happens when I have time to stream

Blessed be those, who, having nothing to say, avoid trying to tell this to the world in their own words - J. Tuwim ( liberally translated )

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by paarfi » Thu Jul 11, 2019 10:23 am

darrin wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:47 pm
Concerned_user wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:51 pm
very little work
Bullshit.
Folks, let's please try to keep it civil. It's ok to disagree, but let's try to be nice about it.
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Concerned_user » Sat Jul 20, 2019 6:01 pm

cidjen wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 6:31 pm
Concerned_user wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:51 pm
The pattern here is he always seems to say he will deliver something when he knows he can't.
See this is what I meant. You've failed the homework research right here.
Concerned_user wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:51 pm
hope for some accountability and positive change
Long before this part, where you might have a point.
1 page of comic posted this month again, where patreon says at least 4 WILL be done if monetary goal reached. See you fail in your research. Its simple to see words saying "I will give x for y" and then when x is given y is not. I can do this every month if you need me too in order for it to sink in.

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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Concerned_user » Sat Jul 20, 2019 6:01 pm

paarfi wrote:
Thu Jul 11, 2019 10:23 am
darrin wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:47 pm
Concerned_user wrote:
Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:51 pm
very little work
Bullshit.
Folks, let's please try to keep it civil. It's ok to disagree, but let's try to be nice about it.
agreed

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paarfi
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by paarfi » Sat Jul 20, 2019 6:48 pm

Concerned_user wrote:
Sat Jul 20, 2019 6:01 pm
I can do this every month if you need me too in order for it to sink in.
Umm, no. I don't agree with your point, nor (I think) do many of Fred's Patreon supporters. But it's been fair that you should have the chance to make that point, as long as you are not obnoxious about it, and for the most part you haven't been thus far.

You've made your point though. If people respond to you, agreeing or disagreeing, I see no problem with you continuing to discuss it with them in the same manner. But trying to make your point by posting it weekly or monthly is not going to be acceptable. You'e not going to convince people by hammering it into their skulls, and we have rules against spamming here.

If you have a problem with this, please PM me or another mod.
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Re: Sounds like things STILL haven't been great....

Post by Concerned_user » Tue Jul 23, 2019 1:26 am

paarfi wrote:
Sat Jul 20, 2019 6:48 pm
Concerned_user wrote:
Sat Jul 20, 2019 6:01 pm
I can do this every month if you need me too in order for it to sink in.
Umm, no. I don't agree with your point, nor (I think) do many of Fred's Patreon supporters. But it's been fair that you should have the chance to make that point, as long as you are not obnoxious about it, and for the most part you haven't been thus far.

You've made your point though. If people respond to you, agreeing or disagreeing, I see no problem with you continuing to discuss it with them in the same manner. But trying to make your point by posting it weekly or monthly is not going to be acceptable. You'e not going to convince people by hammering it into their skulls, and we have rules against spamming here.

If you have a problem with this, please PM me or another mod.
I've said my peace then. I give up on Fred and this comic. I hope you people who claim to be his friend, actually have the guts to give him the difficult truths in the hours needed. Everyone has issues in their life, but not everyone has some huge network of fans to make them feel its perfectly fine and don't need to be accountable.

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