Important Poll (in which I ask you, my boss, for two months to work on something else)

TL;DR Will you guys allow me to take a break from doing regular comic work and instead draw only pinups for roughly two months (the very latest being September 5th) so that I may focus on participating in a writing contest?

Long blog post:

Magical Girl Dallas and Cafe Part 2 had left me drained in terms of being a writer. Magical Girl Dallas so much so that I cannot even think about it anymore. It sucked because I always considered myself a writer, yet outside of Bodysuit 23 and 4 panel long scripts for the other comic I'm trying to get off the ground, I haven't written jack shit. Not even a month ago I figured that I wouldn't write much long form writing anymore once the second comic got going. Anything I write would most likely be in the form of scripts for web comics.

 But then one week ago today, I saw this article on Anime News Network. A writing contest that had to change its rules as to make sure people knew that writers wouldn't lose the copyright for their story once they submit it. You know, the usual bullshit you see in these types of contests.

But then I got to reading the rules for the contest, where participants had to write a web novel over the course of two months with a word minimum of 45k words. Twice the given length of nanowrimo. But you were limited to the prompts and themes they presented, and you were judged by the way you released your story as you wrote it. You couldn't simply write the entire story and then submit it at the end of the two month period. They wanted to see your progression as you wrote your story in roughly 1.5k-3.5k word chunks, released in a frequent and regularly scheduled fashion. To interact with people in the comments as they read along.

I found the challenge and idea fun.

10 stories under each prompt would then be picked by judges, and each prompt will have a general voting round. Afterward, the top two of each prompt would then face all the others. First place would win $5k, second place $3k, and third place $2. Those three winners will then have their work translated into Japanese and presented to Kodansha for a possible publication deal and have the work adapted into a manga.

Now, I highly doubt Kodansha will go through with that prize. Even in the rules it states that Kodansha reserves the right to do fuck all if they don't care for any of the stories. It's a carrot at the end of a stick to get a bunch of people dreaming about the opportunity to maybe, just maybe have their light novel turned into a manga. That somehow their work is more special than the thousands upon thousands of Japanese web novels/light novels. That Kodansha would put in the effort to work with a foreigner to adapt their work into manga instead of simply grabbing  much easier Japanese work from a Japanese creator who knows Japanese.

And I won't lie: the cash prizes are nice. Of course I'm boring and I'd immediately dump it into my students loan debt, dust off my hands, and go back to working to pay off the rest of it.

But that's not my main reason for participating.

The biggest thing that got to me was the challenge. To write an original story in the course of two months and release it for all to see as you're writing it.

Within an hour I had a concept figured out based on the prompt "My New Life as a..." and one of the required themes: "Anthropomorphism.

"A girl is transformed into a furry cat girl by a jerk of a cat god and has to deal with the consequences while continuing to live her life and find that jerk so it can change her back."

By Friday I had the entire novel outlined and begun writing. As of now I have a little over 15.5k words written. You all have seen the protagonists of the story the other day: a stupid adorable girl turned into a cat girl and her friend, a matured gothic lolita. Two young women living in Bum Fuck Egypt, USA, doing dumb shit like going through a Dragon Ball Z training arc so protagonist can swim in the pool again and not freak out and going up against the cat mafia that extorts house cats for cans of cat food.

This is the most fun I have had writing in years. More fun than Bodysuit 23. More fun than the new comic idea. More fun than Magical Girl Dallas and Cafe.

It's fucking insane to me. Every day (except Sunday because 4th of July) I've managed to get a good chunk of writing down. I've yet to run into any writers block (knock on wood). Writing this story has felt like cutting butter with a hot knife in terms of just how easy it has been. It makes me so fucking happy, and there's nothing more that I want than to show all of you, and everyone else who may not even know of me yet to check it out. I have that much faith in it.

Problem: Bodysuit 23 break is over.

When I got started writing this story last week, I thought "Oh, sure, I'll be able to write this while also figuring out the next chapter of Bodysuit 23! Easy peasy!"

Lolnope!

Turns out I can't! It's beyond my capabilities. Having to draw a full on comic page while also spending all this time writing this story cannot work. Both will suffer for it if I continue down this path. Bodysuit 23 is my job, so it should be my priority.

But I can't help myself. I'm enjoying writing this new story so much. I think it is a lot of fun. I think it can win! For those who regularly chat with me over discord, how many times have I ever said "Man, this thing I'm making is pretty good! I like it!"

You all are my boss. All 328 of you. It is my job to keep producing Bodysuit 23 for your enjoyment, because that's why you're here. It's why you give me your hard earned money: so that I may continue making new comic pages.

So I ask of you: will you spare me these next two months, allowing me to only draw pinups and not story content, so that I may spend more of my time working this new story?

What I would like to do is set up polls every week to determine what sort of pinup you all would like to see: Bodysuit 23 related pinups, general bodysuit/masking artwork, something else. I would then pass those results onto the $20+ tier guys to then iron out the details. If it's Bodysuit 23 related, who would it be of? Would it be a masking scenario, or would it be Madison and Owen runnin' and shootin' down a large metallic hallway toward a door with a giant "Dr. W" sign above it?

Every week there will be new polls. Perhaps I could swap out poll choices with different ones so it's not necessarily the same thing every time and add variety? I am free to suggestions if you have any and would like to tell me in the comments.

Once the contest is over and if I don't happen to win, I'll go back in and draw up some insert art and create an ebook/physical book edition and include everyone's names who support me on Patreon for allowing me the selfish opportunity to write a stupid/silly furry transformation novel. For those in the higher tiers, I don't know what extra I will do for you guys.

And if somehow on the off chance that I make it to the top 3? Well, time will tell on that.

As of this moment you can actually start reading other people's entries. I still haven't started uploading yet as I need to finish the cover and wrap up the editing for the prologue.

I know this is a large ask, and I know plenty of you probably aren't keen to me going with a furry transformation story as my entry. Hell, my story's going to be up against everyone writing an isekai under the same prompt! We all know how much the youngsters love their isekai stories! I'm probably shooting myself in the foot!

But this is something I really want to do. I feel like this moment, having concluded a major arc in Bodysuit 23, with the little cliffhangers left dangling mostly the lead up to what will be the next arc of the comic, and be between chapters, is the best opportunity I have to take a break from Bodysuit 23. Even if there's future contests, there's a good chance they won't fall so neatly into place that I just so happen to be between chapters AND be between arcs AND not interfere with the flow of the comic.

And don't you worry! Even though I won't be posting the story directly here, I will provide a link once it starts uploading, and I will gladly share updates on my progress as I take on this challenge.

So I ask you, my boss, whom I wouldn't even be where I am today with the support of you all for almost 7 years of Bodysuit 23, whether you were in the patreon from the start or just joined today (hell of a timing, eh?), and making it so I could be a creator instead of working a part time job as my second source of income. Are you okay with me doing this?