On hiatuses and the stress of producing paid content.

So it’s been a while.

When I shut this blog down last year, I had wanted to do so with a grand send-off, a farewell, and a series of excellent articles. But things didn’t go that way. I was in a bad way when I posted my last update and simply couldn’t bring myself to write a proper explanation for the downfall of the blog, or why things ended the way they did. Over a year later, however, I feel it’s important that I explain myself and delve a little into what happened.

The first part is focusing on Patreon.

On Manga, and Finding Diamonds in the Rough

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved reading manga. I used to spend hours at bookstores and libraries marathoning through series after series, taking out massive stacks of books from the library. When I discovered scanlations, I was hooked. I would read series after series, from the popular to the obscure. I’ve always chalked up my preference for manga over anime to how easy it is to read through a manga series, vs. watching an anime. But there’s another reason, and a far more important one: How easy it is to find diamonds in the rough.

Revisiting Sonic Adventure 2

I didn’t grow up with the Genesis sonic games, or with platformers like Super Mario 64. Rather, my introduction to Sonic and 3D platforming was playing Sonic Adventure 2 at a friend’s house. I was immediately hooked, and ended up getting my own copy which I played obsessively. Having not touched the game for years and hearing all manner of opinions about it, I decided to revisit it and see if it still held any of the magic I once felt for it.

Nanashi no Asterism: On How to Write a Gay Series Without the Gay

I wanted to like Nanashi no Asterism. A lot. It had cute art, a fun cast of characters, and a likeable charm to it. I wasn’t expecting it to be high art or anything of the sort, but I was hoping for a fun little Yuri manga.

Those hopes were, regrettably, shattered.

Your Name Review

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into Your Name. I’ve had a dubious history with Makoto Shinkai’s works, and I found his character writing to be his weak point held up purely by his emotional appeal drama appeal. Yet it was hard to ignore something when it suddenly becomes the highest-grossing anime film of all time. So I took the first opportunity I had to see it when it released in theaters near us.

Patreon Thank-You Post for May 2017

While I had hoped to have all my affairs wrapped up by now, the truth is that things are more of a mess than ever before. I’ve postponed the end-date for my blog to mid-June, but do not intend to postpone it any further. In the meantime, I’d like to take this one last opportunity to thank everyone who continues to support me and this blog. A great big thank-you to Steven Hopkins, Space Queen Galacta Q, Bad Game Hall of Face, and Aleena Tuabin! Thank you so much for all your support, and I apologize once again for how sporadic updates have been.

Katsuhiro Otomo’s Memories Review

I love short form experimental media. People simply working with a basic premise or prompt, given a deadline and a budget, and told to make something short and simple. Short stories, one-shot comics, all appeal to me on a profound level. So it should then come as no surprise that I would like short movie collections, like Katsuhiro Otomo’s Memories. Memories is a collection of 3 sci-fi shorts from 3 directors, crossing genre lines and merging themes into a medley of unique works.

Patreon Thank-You Post for April 2017, and Delayed Apologies

This past month or so has been insanely busy and stressful to a point that is difficult to articulate, and it’s felt like the world has done all it can to prevent me from getting updates out. I had the laptop that I do most of my art, writing, and assorted activities on die on me, I had difficulty dealing with customer support on my protection plan, I had to prepare for and plan a trip to Boston (and while in Boston had little time to write), and had to work through all of that. As a result, I found myself unable to capture screenshots from games or DVDs, lost any and all free time to dealing with tech support, and didn’t even have time to properly convey why updates had been delayed yet again.

Having said all that, I’ll be damned if I see out the month without a single update. I’ve more on the way that should hopefully come out soon, but as of this post going up there is an update on Patreon for $10+ backers. I would like to apologize for not getting this out sooner, and would like to give a huge thanks to all the backers who made this possible. Thank you to Aleena Tuabin, Steven Hopkins, Space Queen Galacta Q, ChorpSaway, and Bad Game Hall of Fame! I apologize yet again for the delays.

Patreon Thank-You Post for March 2017

Apologies for how late this got out, I’ve been suffering major burnout lately. However, I’d still like to take a moment to thank everyone who continues to support me and this blog, even after my recent announcement. My sincerest gratitude to Aleena Tuabin, Chorpsaway, Steven Hopkins, Space Queen Galacta Q, and Bad Game Hall of Fame! Thank you all for your support, and I hope you continue to enjoy my writing even past this blog’s lifetime!

Endings, Farewells, and What Comes Next

When I started Evagaming, the precursor to Skirt Defense Force, it was never meant to be more than a dumping ground for my writings about games and anime. I eventually moved to WordPress to avoid the community and UI of tumblr, and set up my Patreon when I lost my job to help keep myself afloat. Since then, my blog has grown in ways I never thought possible and people have supported me in ways I can never repay. It has been a very meaningful two years for my blog.

It is thus with a heavy heart that I must announce Skirt Defense Force will stop updating by the end of May.