The Wandering Inn – Web Serial

wanderinginn.wordpress.com

It’s been a long time.

Actually, it’s been only a few months. Less. But it feels like a year or two. And sadly, I’m not writing here to say that I’m back. Rather, it’s to let you all know what I’m doing.

I’m writing a Web Novel. You may also think of it as a web serial, or a novella written in small, 1,000-4,000 word doses that I post every Tuesday and Saturday. The genre is Fantasy and the name of the story is The Wandering Inn.

I won’t do much advertising here. I’ll just leave a link and a picture that has nothing to do with the actual plot of the story. This is just a picture with Pirate and her friends having a party for old time’s sake.

But if you’re interested in seeing what I have to write, check it out sometime. Right now I’m only 4 installments in, but hopefully I’ll keep adding to the story for a long while.

…I mean, I’ve written two novels now. How hard can it be to write another? Writing is weird.

Hope you’re all well. Stay out of weird inns.

–pirateaba

The Wandering Inn – wanderinginn.wordpress.com

1000th Post – Farewell

A thousand days of Pirate. And her journey has only begun…

It’s been a long time. A very long time. 1000 days, in fact. And each and every day I drew a picture of Pirate.

True, I forgot to post some days, and other times I feel like the humor wasn’t there or the drawing didn’t capture my ideas fully. But when I first started this blog nearly three years ago, I intended to do just this. At the time, I had no idea how to draw. I’d just bought a Wacom Tablet, and I wanted to improve my art skills and draw this cute character called Pirate. And so I did.

My first pictures are still on here. Well, not my first few pictures. I think I threw those away. But I decided that no matter how awful I was, I’d draw a picture of Pirate doing something every day as a way of improving my art. And I did. And somewhere along the way people started watching.

I never really promoted this blog. I’m no good at social stuff, and I really didn’t have the confidence at the time to say I had anything worth sharing. But slowly a few people began watching this blog. And I am grateful to you all for it.

But with that all said, it’s time to say goodbye. I know it’s sudden and I only hinted at it during my 900th post, but I’ve made my decision. And it’s been hard to do.

If I could I would draw Pirate forever. Some days its hard to figure out what to draw or be creative, but I truly believe I could come up with a new picture every day for the rest of my life. If I had the time. If I could make it work. But I can’t.

I’ll be honest, part of it is money. Part of it is time. These are petty things, but I’m growing older and they weigh more on me each passing day. When I first started this blog I was in college, and had time on my side. But now I’m graduated and working. And though I can still work and draw, it’s harder. And harder still is finding the time to do other things.

You may not know this if you only come to the blog to look at the pictures, but I wrote a book. All things considered it wasn’t a great book since I failed to market it well. I self-published it and failed to do any of the things that would help me sell it. It was a lesson, and one that I learned a lot from. But I found in writing that book something I loved to do.

I want to write. I want to draw. I even want to make video games. But I don’t have time for any of it, and this blog means I spend hours each day making a new picture. So, as much as it hurts I need to stop. I wish it weren’t so, but I can’t be the same forever.

…

It feels like so much has happened in the world since I started drawing. In the time since I began, we lost many people. Celebrities, family…I’ve drawn through the loss of people I loved to the start of wars. It feels sometimes like the world has become a darker place. But this blog was always meant to be a place to lose yourself for a few seconds each day.

Yet I can’t keep creating it. It’s not that I feel like it’s worthless; on the contrary, that’s the problem. Every day, no matter what I did, no matter how low I felt…so long as I had this blog, I could feel good about what I had done. But that is what is holding me back. So long as I have this small blog, I could devote my time to it and not creating something larger. So I have to stop. But the memories remain.

Let me write this down so I may make a record of it. In the time since I started Pirate Blog, I have had just over 10,000 total views on this site. Over 4,000 people have visited this blog, and 173 people follow this blog. It’s truly been fun.

…

If I could, I would draw here forever. If I could. But I can’t. Pirate’s story was never meant to be the comedic, random story it is here. Her true story, the one I know and have never told is far larger than this blog can contain. So she must set out on that journey, just as I have to change.

But is Pirate gone? Am I leaving here forever? No. Pirate, Knight, Rabbit, the Stick People…they won’t simply disappear. Each one has their own story I hope to tell, and they will remain here as well. Some day I will come back, and I hope to create more stories about Pirate in the future. But for now, Pirate Blog is on infinite hiatus.

…

I’m sorry to write in such a clumsy fashion. But there’s no magic in my words right now. Just a bit of sadness. I thank you all who read this, every single person who’s ever commented and liked my posts, or simply clicked on these silly pictures and enjoyed seeing a girl named Pirate.

Someday I will return. But for now, at the end of a thousand days, Pirate Blog is over. Thank you for reading. Until we meet again,

–pirateaba

Foreboding

“Pirate?”

…Tomorrow.

Many Mothers

Mother’s Day is…you know what, go for it Pirate.

Tomorrow is a special day. It’s when we say thanks to our mothers…but no one else’s for some reason. I always wondered about that. Can’t we be nice to all mothers? I mean, at least say ‘thanks for putting up with an annoying kid all this time?’ Well, maybe we shouldn’t spread the love around in case our moms get mad at us. Thanks, Mom.

Safety Slouches

They don’t have your back, guys. They don’t even have your rope.

Have you ever gone climbing? I have in High School, but only a little bit and only because it was part of class. Looking down at height makes me feel uneasy about my impeding death. But I would never climb if someone like Pirate was holding the rope. She’s a menace.

Key Support

I guess it’s cheaper than repairing.

I hear America’s infrastructure isn’t that great. Thus, a bridge might well collapse. Now, if it were boring humans, we’d have to fix it using concrete, bricks…boring stuff. Stick People can just use Pirate. She’s really useful until she gets bored.

Sick Soup

It violates humanitarian rights AND it tastes bad!

I…made soup yesterday. It had carrots, celery, onions…soba noodles…vegetable stock…paprika…

…It tastes like what I imagine raw brains scraped along a mouldy restroom tastes like. But I ate it. Because it’s not good to waste food. That’s 5 meals over two days.

Gonna lie down now. I’m eating healthy, but I feel sick.

Easter Expectations

The Easter Bunny is a really shady figure when you think about it.

It’s official, Pirate Blog has hit rock bottom. We’ve descended to scatology in our jokes now! But really, what would you expect when you have a holiday celebrating a weird bunny that gives out eggs?

Well, that’s popular culture. Easter also celebrates the rebirth of a certain religious figure, but I can’t draw people yet. Happy Easter!

King of Spring

Have you made your offering to the Great Plum this year?

“In written pain and summer’s due

From tilled soil and dawning’s vibrant hue

So the god of Plums speaks to you.”

Small Adventures – 900th Post + Birthday

Ever onwards, Pirate.

I’m combining a lot of topics today. To summarize: it’s my birthday, but also closing in on the 900th post for Pirate blog. That means 900 days of Pirate has already come and gone.That seems unreal to me, but I’m proud that I can back up memory with a picture of Pirate for every day I’ve lived.

Thank you all who read the blog for sticking with me — some of you right from the start, others only a few weeks ago. It’s sometimes tiring, sometimes demanding, sometimes exhausting to draw a picture a day and (try) to make it funny, but I hope I’ve been somewhat entertaining.

I was thinking about stopping Pirate Blog once I hit 1000 posts, or at least severely scaling down the frequency of my updates. It’s great to be able to say I did something concrete every day, but it’s also hard, sometimes stressful…but rewarding. I’m still not sure, but knowing some people read it helps a lot.

…You are out there, aren’t you? I know some of you by the likes you put on posts every day — thank you, and some because you’re family or friends. I do want this to be a fun little picture you can start (or end) you day with, and I want to share it with as many people as possible.

If I could have one wish, I guess I need to spend it on world peace, or at least a world not ruled by idiots. But if I get a second wish, I hope you’ll mention Pirate Blog to someone. Only if you think they’d be interested, and only if you feel like it, but it would make my day.

Four paragraphs is enough. I’m done talking, but hope you’re all having a great day, and here’s a wallpaper of Pirate doing what I feel like doing all the time: going on an adventure.

PS: I just realized this, but to actually see a lot of the images full-size or to download them, you do need to go to Gallery to find the images and click on the full-size option. This one’s in the Special category.