Baby, It's Cold Outside, pt. 3

Baby, It's Cold Outside, pt. 2

Baby, It's Cold Outside, pt. 1

This has been a hard secret to keep, but I was able to hide it when CK arrived for the holidays. This is a special comic that follows the lyrics "Baby, it's Cold Outside", his and my favorite December song. It is also his gift. 

You may also have noticed two rabbits in the comic. Those are my two new animal companions, Bran and Teague.  

About the buns: I adopted Bran and Teague on November 15 of this year, a month after losing my first rabbit, Thistle, to a severe case of coccidia and GI Stasis. I had had him for a mere weekend before ending up in the Vet ER, had him stay there for a few days, took him home, and not four hours later, rushed his poor bloated self to the ER again only to be told he needed to be put to sleep. October had been a rough month for me.

Rest in peace, Thistle dude

A few days after his passing, I looked on PetFinder for rabbits near me and discovered Bran and Teague, then called Cinnabun and Flopsy. They were originally thought to be two girls, but after their neutering, the rescue group learned differently. I got in touch with the group, filled out their application, passed their phone interview, visited the little dudes, and the rest was history.

We spent November and part of December getting to know each other, and it's amazing how much our relationship has developed. 

Teague, the helicopter-eared curious sweetie

Bran, the shy bossy bun

LDR Monster Couple - Satyr and Mermaid

This one is more serious than the other ones, and likely my favorite concept of my LDR Monster Couple Series for Inktober. But this concludes the series, and now for our regularly scheduled kinda-sorta autobiographical comics.

Stay tuned for next week, as I'll be unveiling my well kept secret winter comic project! Also, as of today, it's one more week until CK visits for the holidays!!!!

Shower Thoughts

Some months ago, CK watched a movie on the flight back to Rome called Strange Magic. He's not the sort of person to be all for campy musical movies, but for some reason he loved it. We decided to watch it together, and I was initially iffy about it. But having watched the movie at least four times in the span of a couple months, you can say it's my go to feel-good movie. I don't know why, but it grew on me, and since then CK will break out into song, causing me to giggle profusely.

So yeah, this is entirely his fault. ;)

LDR Monster Couple - Mad Scientist and Robot

This is the second to last coupling of the Inktober LDR Monster Couple series. I know we're already in December, but hey, even jailbirds and their murderous love machines need so love too... right?

Birthday Wish

My birthday was a quiet one. I didn't really have the energy to make myself a treat, although I did go to a very fun burlesque show by myself the Friday before.

While I'm very grateful that we've been able to spend our anniversaries in person, our birthdays have been a different story. We have it better than some, who struggle to even see each other virtually, but at the same time... it's become my wish every year. Hopefully we won't have to have any more birthdays before closing the distance. Hopefully this year was the last.

LDR Monster Couple - Werewolf and Skeleton

One, the reason her "Skelly Boo" isn't pictured is because, one, he is shipping himself a little at a time (most mortals would have a problem seeing him in public transportation), and two, when he was alive he invested in this particular shipping company so he knows good shipping service when he sees it.

His last bits are his head and hand, and then they'll have closed the distance. :)

LDR Monster Couple - Slime Monster and Yeti

 

 Riiiiight, Slime Monster... goodbye hug indeed. ;)

After this, there are three more Monster Couples.

LDR Monster Couple - Earth and Air Elementals

LDR Monster Couple - Fire and Water Elementals

Okay... so maybe not necessarily monsters, but these two can only meet during a huge rainstorm that results in a  power outage. If that isn't LD, I don't know what is...

LDR Monster Couple - Troll and Giant

One of my favorites in the series.

LDR Monster Couple - Vampire and Ghost

LDR Monster Couple - Manticore and Sphinx

For the next few weeks in November, I will be publishing the remaining LDR Monster Couples in my Inktober series.  I sadly didn't get through all the ones I wanted to draw, but it was still a fun thing to do.

What if? (Moving)

I don't know how I drew myself right-handed... needless to say, I'm embarrassed. >_>

On a more positive note, I've moved into my own place, and sooooooo much closer to work. My 1.5-2 hours of commuting was reduced to 15 minutes. Oh, and my apartment is pretty bangin'.

Taking Commissions

Hello everyone!

Sadly, while I had eleven comics ready to be uploaded, my having to drive elsewhere to get them scanned meant I missed last week's Friday deadline. I'm making up for it now, with a Sunday post, and comics will resume on time as usual.

Last week, I was very excited to get my first rabbit, only to have him die within five days of my having him to a severe case of coccidia and GI Stasis (He'd been in my home for a total of 48 hours, the rest of the time in the ER). As a first time rabbit owner, this was devastating to me, and so this week was a difficult one to work through.

While I am on the search for adopting another rabbit (or a bonded pair), I wanted to put it out there that I am taking commissions for small comics for LDR couples. 

More information will be on my Commissions page.

Inktober Challenge: LDR Monster Couple - Plant Monster and Kraken

Probably my favorite of the challenge. :3

Inktober Challenge: LDR Monster Couple - Dragon and Nymph

Inktober Challenge: LDR Monster Couple - Mummy and Zombie

I've always wanted to participate in Inktober, and thought it would be fun to make it about LDR Monster couples. There will be 15 in all, including regular ODC comics.

Proud

It was a proud moment for me being able to afford my first smartphone, phone and plan included at the start of this month. The fact that I can budget and live on my own without external support for the first time has been so empowering.

And naturally, being able to buy plane tickets for CK... what pride that instills in me!

... a shame I have to wait two more months... >_<

Commuting

Guys, for realsies, be safe. Even when I'm talking to CK, I do it via headphones, so that my hands are on the wheel. It's awesome if you're able to talk to your partner during stressful situations, but ALWAYS take care of yourself first.

Also, in comparison to my first attempt at drawing vehicles, I think I'm finally getting the hang of them now. :3

Battling Insecurity

Everyone has insecurities, even webcomic creators. 

I have to say, this was probably the most emotion-inducing comic I've created for ODC. It's difficult for me to come forward and tell other people I'm hurting, and at no fault of CK, I've had to deal with it. 2014 and 2015 were difficult years for me: living in Malta triggered a lot of past trauma, and I spent the majority of this year dealing with the trauma I experienced living abroad (prominently anxiety attacks and feelings of extreme isolation). Since I was small, things had to be a crisis for me in order for them to be legitimized, and this is a hard bad habit to break.

What's helped, you may ask? Well, therapy for one. Empowerment and encouragement by loved ones, for another. And finally, self-empowerment, the last piece of the healing puzzle, and in my humble opinion, the one that sends those insecurities packing for good.

LDRs will bring your insecurities forward, just like any relationship will. It also adds a layer of complexity, including the stress of trying to figure out how and when closing the distance will happen. Being apart from someone who means so much to you can be heart-wrenchingly painful, and at the same time, a great opportunity in establishing yourself as an independent, capable, and awesome person.

Growing pains suck. They really do. And I've grown a lot over the last couple of years, especially when I stopped freaking out and starting doing something about my insecurities. 

Anyway, I thought I'd share. <3 

Drawing these comics

At some point, I'll get hands down.... gah.