Pausing billing in January + Rewriting Ch.105 (Patreon)

Hi Everyone,

First and foremost, I will be pausing Patreon billing in January. Which means: if you are an active Patron, you will not be charged on January 1, 2024, and will continue to have access to my Patreon posts, including ones to be published in January. To maintain this access you must have an active membership, and if you choose to upgrade your membership tiers, you will still be charged the difference between your current tier and upgraded tier. Any new Patrons who join in January will still be charged when they sign up.

This is not a hiatus, but more so because I am very behind on chapters, and so what was originally planned for December: 3 regular chapter updates + 1 NSFW update, will now be distributed Dec 2023 through Jan 2024, if that makes sense! Basically one month's worth of rewards given out in two months, hence why I'm pausing billing in January.

I apologize for the grand delay of things, perhaps some of it is caused by the store relaunch, but a lot actually comes from a writing slump. To Patrons who have read Ch.105, I apologize as I have decided to rewrite the second half of that chapter, and because I have never rewritten or in other words taken back a chapter that's already been published, it took me a long while to work out if this is something I really want to do, and I came to the conclusion that I do want it rewritten.

The Reason for Rewriting Ch.105:

In the chapter, I mention the picture book "The Missing Piece" (1976) by Shel Silverstein by its title, and while book titles are permitted by copyright law, I felt for later chapters, if I were to use the book for the narrative intent I was aiming for, I would need to quote some quotes and if my characters were to hold the book in their own hands, I would further need to use its cover. All of these require asking the publisher and estate for permission, which I did, and they did respond! And they were really lovely to speak to, but it's been an exhausting back and forth process because (1) the nature of an ongoing serialized comic with a tight publishing schedule makes it difficult for both parties to expect how the work will be reused and reproduced, (2) permissions may be time-limited or limited by print run if I do print books, (3) since my work is licensed in Korean I would further need to seek world rights, and (4) they just take a very long time to respond, understandably so in the publishing realm.

All of this, has made me think this is just not worth it. As I mentioned, the nature of serialized comics means I am writing as I go, even if I have an overarching plan for the plot. Referencing the picture book was something that came much more recently in that process, so I started the permissions process late and am now realizing I don't want to go forth with it, even if permissions are granted. It's just not worth having a plot point hinge on a decision that I have little control over, and I think I can do better than that as a writer.

This whole process has really made me think about my own abilities as a writer, and perhaps it's clouded my mind as I started to think I wasn't equipped to tell a story if I could only tell it through the lens of another piece of literature. I entered a writing slump and was only able to get out of it after rereading everything I have ever written, as advised by a dear writer friend of mine. It was during this that I realized I have not reread my work for so long, perhaps due to shame or embarrassment. And in that process, while I did feel a lot of cringe and many things regrettable, I also saw where my strengths lie as a writer, and that I have a whole story and two characters who've given me so much to work with, that I no longer felt the need to fuss over following certain plot points with such rigidity that I lose sight of what I already have.

For the past 2 weeks, this has been going on in my mind as I tried to rewrite, and write, and write... I apologize for causing worry as I know some of you have asked how I'm doing. Side tangent - I've also been getting you guys' comments and messages on receiving your zines and that really, really warms my heart, and has been a huge motivator as I worked through this writing slump!!!

I will be back hopefully end of this week with the rewritten chapter, and hopefully next week with a new chapter! And with that, there'll be one more chapter + new pages for the ongoing NSFW comic, all posted in January. Please look forward to them!

On Webtoons, 3 chapters are posted in December and it will go on hiatus in January👍

Thank you all again for your support and understanding.

x, Jui