Author notes

Shields Deployed

Amelius

on April 8, 2022

So. Another long, long delay. What's up with that? There's the usual issues with the tech (which I've now found a solution of sorts to) and the depression and anxiety, which sadly doesn't go away. But I've worked through depression and anxiety before so what's the deal. Why has it taken so long to post up here.
Well to be brutally honest, it's this site. I haven't been feeling very positive lately for a whole host of reasons. Many of my friends who had comics here but never came back know. They've said the same things as I have. Even if there's a hell of a lot of cool people here, making some great comics, the culture of the site is going in a different direction from the site I joined so many years ago and I'm honestly uncertain of my future here. My foot isn't out the door yet, but after a certain experience I had last month, it's hovering over the threshold at least. I'm not going to fool myself into thinking I'm important around here, my leaving would have so little impact on this site, so this isn't an ultimatum so please don't take it as one. I just think that if I'm not welcome here, I may as well move on.

I'm frustrated. I don't speak out of hate for DD, I just feel like DD is sitting on a golden opportunity and throwing it away to grump and grouch about how other more successful webcomic sites are not doing right by webcomic authors while not doing anything more for them either.

How many webcomic hosts and art sites have completely imploded while DD swims on? Jelly Creations, Sheezyart, Smackjeeves,ComicDish, Inkblazers, and more I'm forgetting? Comic Genesis isn't dead but it almost might as well be, and it's legitimately the only webcomic host I'd say looks worse than DD in terms of UI, comic finding and layout on the main page. Getting your foot in the door and establishing a presence on the internet is NOT an easy task. DD has been here for years and has name recognition, but right now that name is mud because and we're bleeding creators and community left and right, people have nothing good to say about it when it's brought up elsewhere (and they have the same things to say as I am right now when they say why they left)and what remains of that community is hostile to diversity and is an echo-chamber that frequently defends the worst things. DD has definitely become political, and it's politics that are hostile to LGBTQA+ people, those are my friends, my family.

I don't want to get into it here but there was an extremely unpleasant interaction offsite with one of our members that really put some things into clear perspective.

If you ask someone to be considerate of others you get accused of being some kind of prude or pro-censorship or whatever stupid thing.

I'm not an outgoing person, but I do try to involve myself in my community by keeping up with the news and what's posted in the forums and I gotta say I just do not vibe with this current state. This isn't a place where I can be myself anymore, not a place where I even feel comfortable talking about things. Some of my best memories are from DD, but some of my absolute darkest moments are from this site as well. There is definitely a cloud over my head right now.