For some time now, I’ve been addicted to sadness and frustration. I know this, as I can feel the gaps when they grow. Like long silences in elevators to some, and unsaid words in conversations for others. It was nice to be–momentarily, of course–feeling something else. It’s an exhilarating moment in time, watching someone pick up a creation you created and react. And so that was glimpsed more than once at MegaCon 2012, where people seemed to enjoy my “bad comics”; heck, I even sold out of the horror-based ones!

I hope to feel this again.

A crown of gold
A heart that’s harder than stone
And it hurts to hold on
But it’s missed when it’s gone
- “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot” by Brand New

NOTE: Will update this post as I finish the rest of them, hopefully before I go to sleep. FINISHED! WOO HOO! That’s two years in a row. Otherwise, it’s been a fairly ho-hum day spent indoors with cats, coffee, and crazy songs about soup. Y’know, daily life.

We were born with our eyes wide open
So alive with wild hope
Now, can you tell me why
Time after time
They drag you down
- “Silver Lining” by David Gray

The first of many cat comics, I’m sure. Stay tuned for more, as well as more bad puns.

But everybody needs a friend sometimes
You need a little help
And who knows, maybe one day you’ll seek mine
Only time will tell
- “Just Another Night” by Cat Stevens

We found the DMV shortly thereafter, but evidently, magically, fortuitously, they don’t do driver licenses on…Thursdays. Just Thursdays. All other visiting days are fine for it. And yeah, we went on a Thursday. So, uh, good job, us. At least we got to see where the hoodlums in Pennsylvania go for correcting.

Cut it out
Your self-inflicted pain is getting too routine
The crowds are catching on to the self-inflicted song
Well here we go again
- “Art is Hard” by Cursive

The darker side of Pauly, stemmed from a drunk driver hitting my car and then driving off.

You’ve got the perfect disguise, and you’re looking okay
From the bottom of the best of the worst, well what can I say
Cause you cocked your head to shoot me down, down
And I don’t give a damn about you or this town no more
No, cause I know the score
- “Perfect Disguise” by Modest Mouse

I hate drawing comics based in, by, or generally anywhere near cars. But alas, a lot of the time, comics-worthy stuff happens around ‘em. I am doomed to be haunted by cars. It is known.

This dizzy life of mine
Keeps hanging me up all the time
This dizzy life is just a hanging tree
- “Hanging Tree” by Counting Crows

One down, one more to go.

And the light that shines through the shining night
Is a lamp that I carried from my mother’s home
And the light that burns through the window pane
And the love remains
- “Blue Lamp” by Stevie Nicks

Other than turning me completely numb, Skyrim‘s been pretty great so far. There’s a ton of things to do at any given minute, and my miscellaneous questlog is at least forty to fifty items deeps. Kinda dancing between main quest and just wandering around accepting every task thrown my way. I just wish I could play it in a warmer place, but alas, no, the TV’s in the living room, the hardest spot in the house to heat. And Tara and I are not rich, so we heat only the small rooms, where less is more and whatnot. Thankfully, our landlord’s gonna make sure the fireplace is in good shape next week. Mmm…can’t wait.

Speaking of houses, I bought one in Whiterun, but unfortunately think I stumbled upon a less than fun glitch. After buying the house from Proventus Avenicci, you’re supposed to then be able to buy upgrades from him–the house comes totally unfurnished, with no flame in the hearth at all and only a single chest to store dragon bones/dragon scales in–but each time Lohgahn speaks with him, the jarl’s stewart’s dialogue choices do not reflect this. Looking online, people say you have to wait at least a day to get them to pop up, but I’ve waited at least eight in-game days…and nothing. Guess I just blew 5,000 gold. Grrr…

EDIT: Just learned that, to buy house upgrades from Proventus Avenicci, you have to speak with him when he’s standing before the jarl, not when he’s walking around the halls or just waking up from sleepyland. Try during the late morning to early afternoon timeframe. I now have a bookcase for all my stolen books!

But yeah! Skyrim. It warms me greatly, but only in a metaphorical manner.

No one else will ever see
How much faith you have in me
Only fools would disagree that it’s so
Some people never know
- “Some People Never Know” by Paul McCartney and the Wings

I think I overdid it on this one. Oh wells. It’s just a journal comic that no more than a handful will read. On to the next project!

Don’t want to know the past
I want to know the real deal
I really don’t want to know that
The less we know, the better we feel
- “Miracle Goodnight” by David Bowie

I also did a good job not freaking out too much or being over giddy (I was just a bit giddy), as well as adding his character Yorx to my 3DS Mii Plaza. All in all, not too shabby.

You can order Fungus from the Retrofit website. Do it. The comics within it–”Rotten Little Cuties” and “Facebook”–will make you chuckle, especially the existential musings and wild lifestyles of the Winklemoss twins. “Nice…”

Don’t look so sad, I know it’s over
But life goes on, and this old world will keep on turning
Let’s be glad we had some time to spend together
There’s no need to watch the bridges that we’re burning
- “For the Good Times” by Dean Martin