Weekly update 11/7/24

Well, shit.

Before I go into my plans for the next couple of months, I want to be clear about something. It is quite possible that nothing changes and I keep producing what I'm producing. That is the ideal outcome. That is the outcome I would prefer. This post is about preparing for the worst outcome.

We have a deadline now. January 20, 2025.

Here's the plan
Step 1: go through the rest of chapters 4 and 5 and do a quick cel-shade pass for each page.
Step 2: add in the text and dialogue
Step 3: "render" the cel-shading. (this will be the longest step)
Step 4: add the secondary shadow and ambient occlusion layers to each page
Step 5: add post-processing

Getting through Step 2 is the bare minimum. If we hit the deadline and some pages aren't at Step 4... oh well... they're going up anyway.

If I can make it to step 5, then the comic should look pretty close to what has come before. I say pretty close because this method of doing things can sterilize the process. It's hard to explain, but you'll see it if it happens.

To accomplish this deadline I have two rules for myself.
1. No redraws unless I finish rendering the entire thing and have some extra time.
2. I am not taking a single day off until 1/20/25

Any extra time I have will be spent sketching out and lettering what I can of part 4.

No matter what, on January 20, 2025, I will post as much Toph Heavy as I have. This post will remain available and I will continue perfecting it for as long as the porn ban isn't in place. If that ban does happen, all of my Rule 34 art will disappear and I will take a month-long break. After that break, we'll shift focus to the community-driven comic we've just started polls for.

To be clear, I will continue making Rule 34. No regime will ever stop me from making the art I want to make. I'm still going to make a whole bunch of small Paizuri comics with characters you know as well as OCs. I will continue working on Toph Heavy. It's just that none of it will be posted publicly until that ban is lifted or an exception is made for hentai and futa. Right now the wording is too vague and I am unwilling to risk it in an extremely red state.

If the ban doesn't come to pass, if it's challenged in court and struck down, or if the entire thing was a lie... it'll be business as usual. The pages I post will be iterated on until they're exactly where I want them, additional pages of Toph Heavy Part 4 will be made, and those short paizuri comics will come without delay. Who knows... it could be months or even years before he does anything. I won't take any drastic actions until then. I just want to give you guys a heads up.

What follows is an example of the simple cel-shade pass mentioned in step 1. I can do these at a rate of about 2 to 3 a day.

Part 3 - Chapter 5 - Page 3
 Part 3 - Chapter 5 - Page 4
Part 3 - Chapter 6 - Page 3
 Part 3 - Chapter 6 - Page 4
 Expect way more of these next week. Take care of yourself. I know art will be a luxury if the economy tanks, so I will expend as much effort as possible to earn that dollar. Even if it kills me.