ATSG Update! (Patreon)

You guys get super early morning access to this, and also, a thank you letter:

I started ATSG when I was 21. It was a fun, purely self indulgent idea of an AU based on certain events that had happened in my personal life. I thought, "I have a story I'd like to share, and I'd like to do it in a form of a fancomic, with characters that people love and can relate to." I didn't expect it to take off like it did. I dreamt it might, but I never fully anticipated that it would to this extent.

In the early years of ATSG, I felt comfortable indulging in some of the darker parts of my story, and how these characters might react to those situations. Once it started to reach out to a wider audience, though, I realized that I wasn't extremely comfortable sharing that part of my life with people I knew, let alone an influx of strangers coming to support my art, There were many, MANY times in the process that I wanted to stop. Many times where it just became impossible for me to move forward with a project this big. I was overwhelmed.

But I continued. Because this AU and comic has introduced me to so many people that I fell in love with. This AU taught me that there are many people in the world that have shared similar experiences to mine, based off of how they relate to the characters involved. This AU helped me come to terms with my struggle as someone who will never be able to be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity. This AU helped me meet other people who knew that pain all too well. This AU is loved and supported by SO MANY people, and I often find myself overwhelmed by the amount of love I get because of it. It feels surreal. Like I'm dreaming.

The past year has been hell on me, emotionally, financially, mentally, and physically. I've been ill more times than I can count, I've lost sleep over financial concerns, and my depression has put me in places that I never wanted to revisit. Between you and me, I also struggle with PTSD due to some traumatic things that happened to me as a preteen, and while for years I was able to suppress a lot of those memories, I recently started having nightmares about them again, putting me back into another dark place. I'm not open about these experiences; hell, I've never even admitted to anyone about the PTSD until right now. But this is important to keep in mind, considering that I wouldn't be able to function in a regular work environment right now, and I'm literally relying on everything I get through my supporters to stay afloat.

Because of you guys. Commissions have helped me pay bills and buy groceries and take care of my family, since I haven't had luck with finding a job specific to my needs, nor do I feel mentally well enough to find one that fits the bare minimum of what I need to make. Adoptables have helped me try to overcome the mountain of commissions I have, and still make a bit of money to buy what we need to survive. And Patreon? Patreon has paid 75% of my rent since February/March. You guys might not realize how much you're helping me, so this is me saying thank you. Thank you for helping me make content to keep my AU and my blogs up and running. Thank you for voting on character drawings and paying for weekly content. Thank you for helping me afford my living situation, because I would have nowhere else to go if I didn't have this apartment. Thank you for sticking with me and interacting with me. I know sometimes I miss weeks, and I have to double up on paid posts to meet my monthly quota. I know that can get frustrating, so thank you for being patient with me.

Most of all: THANK YOU for helping me do something that I love, while I work to better my mental health and focus on my other projects. Thank you for giving me work that I can enjoy. Thank you for helping me through all of this garbage that life has been shitting on me in the past year. I know some of you are struggling too, and you still go out of your way to support me every month. You are my angels. I know this is long winded, and excessive, but honestly. I'm incredibly grateful for this account. I want to focus more time and energy here(between commissions and adopts of course) so that EVENTUALLY, I can be fully funded through Patreon, and be able to spend more time on content that YOU want to see, instead of working full time on commissions only.

Princess and I have been discussing a few really cool ATSG collabs we could do that would be funded by Patreon, so that might be something to look forward to as well! We love this comic, and this AU, and I love you all so much for helping me keep a roof over my head. I'll never be able to thank you enough. Honestly. I hope you all find the same love and support from others, that you've all been so kind to offer to me. <3